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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: ground · racket · mine · coach · cold · wax · ruler · plane

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — a position
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wax — to grow
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cold — not warm
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ruler — for measuring

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