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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: plane · pass · hide · race · ground · fan · branch · wind

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pass — a permit
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — a division
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. race — humankind
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. branch — of a tree

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