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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: tear · rush · file · saw · rash · can · plane · march

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. march — the month
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rash — hasty
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — music
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. file — a line of people
  19. tear — from crying
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rash — a series

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