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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: roll · swing · coach · cap · bear · land · ground · plane

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bear — the animal
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cap — a hat
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. land — to come down
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cap — of ice
  15. land — a country
  16. cap — a lid
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. swing — to play on
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. roll — a list
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. land — ground

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