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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: ground · deal · land · scale · plane · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. land — ground
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. land — a country
  11. ground — crushed
  12. scale — in music
  13. land — to come down
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. scale — size or range
  17. ground — the earth
  18. deal — to handle

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