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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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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: chest · snap · patient · plane · pound · date · firm · ground

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ground — the earth
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ground — crushed
  7. snap — to click
  8. ground — a position
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. date — the fruit
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. plane — a tool
  23. firm — a company
  24. chest — of your body

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