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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: kid · pass · mine · plane · tear · pop · present · staff

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pop — music
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. kid — child
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. kid — to tease
  7. plane — a tool
  8. present — there
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — a permit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. present — the time now
  24. pass — to succeed

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