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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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468
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: season · ground · wound · plane · pitch · stock · hide · tube

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — goods
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. ground — a position
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stock — shares
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. season — of the year
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. season — in sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. tube — a container
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tube — in a tire

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