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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 116 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: pound · fine · bank · wound · plane · key · craft · kid

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. plane — a tool
  8. key — in music
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wound — an injury
  11. craft — boats
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pound — a weight
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bank — for money
  24. key — the most important part

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