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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · wax · shower · mark · fan · cold · present · stand

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — there
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cold — not warm
  6. shower — rain
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cold — an illness
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stand — to bear
  24. plane — in geometry

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