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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · kick · club · game · ground · season · plane · fork

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. game — a match
  11. club — for dancing
  12. ground — a position
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. club — a group
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. kick — in football
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. ground — the earth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. club — for golf

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