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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 116 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: plane · hide · spring · track · tear · snap · stand · bowl

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stand — to bear
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a song
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. spring — the season
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. plane — a tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spring — of water
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. track — to keep track
  21. tear — to rip
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. hide — to keep secret

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