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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: season · tear · stand · cold · fork · plane · mark · bat

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. season — of the year
  6. fork — in a road
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stand — to bear
  15. season — in sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cold — an illness

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