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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 120 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: field · plane · tear · cold · season · pop · stand · board

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. season — of the year
  3. pop — music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. tear — to rip
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. board — to get on
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pop — soda
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. board — a committee
  23. season — in sport
  24. field — farmland

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