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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.

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: plane · kid · cue · pitcher · stand · leaves · rock · season

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — to bear
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rock — music
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rock — a stone
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cue — a hint
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. kid — child
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. season — in sport
  24. plane — a tool

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