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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: foot · pound · leaves · rush · sharp · plane · racket · rock

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rock — music
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. sharp — clever
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rock — a stone
  19. foot — a measure
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. racket — for tennis

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