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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 · bear · scale · pop · plane · fine · wind · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pop — music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ground — a position
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pop — to visit
  15. staff — employees
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pop — soda
  18. scale — size or range
  19. staff — employees
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wind — to turn a key

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