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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: rock · present · pound · file · land · plane

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. file — a document
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. land — a country
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rock — music
  17. present — the time now
  18. file — 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