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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 116 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: court · plane · ground · stem · object · hide

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. object — a thing
  6. court — of law
  7. ground — a position
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. court — of a king
  12. object — to protest
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. object — an aim
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ground — crushed
  18. plane — an aircraft

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