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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: cold · plane · drill · date · press · staff · cue · tear

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. plane — a tool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. drill — army training
  9. cue — a hint
  10. press — to push
  11. press — newspapers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. press — a publisher
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cold — not warm
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cold — an illness
  21. staff — employees
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. staff — a stick

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