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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · plane · fan · cold · pop · pitcher · march · can

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — soda
  7. can — a tin
  8. march — music
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. march — the month
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. can — a tin

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