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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: plane · racket · cold · mine · mouse · content · bear · fall

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. fall — the season
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mine — for digging
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — the animal
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. content — the amount
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fall — to drop
  16. content — happy
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — an illness
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bear — to put up with

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