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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
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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: plane · hand · squash · field · bowl · pitcher · ground · hide

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — a position
  8. hand — help
  9. plane — a tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. field — farmland
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. field — a subject
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bowl — a dish

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