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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: squash · pass · land · plane · cell · chest · shower · nail

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — in biology
  10. land — to come down
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chest — of your body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pass — a permit
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chest — a box
  20. land — a country
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. land — ground

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