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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: plane · season · race · mine · stand · club · fine · fall

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fine — all right
  13. fall — the season
  14. season — in sport
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. club — a group
  19. season — of the year
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. club — for dancing
  23. plane — a tool
  24. race — a contest

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