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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · land · shower · roll · stand · plane · swing · tube

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. land — a country
  3. shower — rain
  4. swing — to play on
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. land — ground
  7. shower — to wash
  8. roll — a cake
  9. swing — music
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — a list
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. swing — in golf
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. tube — the underground
  19. land — to come down
  20. tube — a container
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stand — to bear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com