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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: staff · mug · saw · ground · kick · wake · plane · wind

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ground — crushed
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. staff — employees
  14. ground — a position
  15. staff — a stick
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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