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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: tear · rock · roll · ground · plane · rest · spring · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — in biology
  4. spring — of water
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — the season
  7. ground — the earth
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. roll — a cake
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rock — music
  17. roll — a list
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. plane — a tool
  24. roll — on a roll

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