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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: land · plane · file · foot · row · current · rest · coach

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. foot — a measure
  3. land — ground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. current — happening now
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — a line
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. file — a line of people
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. land — a country
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. file — a document
  18. land — to come down
  19. rest — a break
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. plane — a tool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. file — a tool
  24. rest — what's left

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