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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: band · game · sharp · fall · stem · firm · ground · plane

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stem — to come from
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. firm — decided
  6. sharp — clever
  7. plane — a tool
  8. game — a match
  9. firm — steady
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — wild animals
  13. band — a music group
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. band — a ring
  21. firm — a company
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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