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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: ground · trunk · clip · deal · staff · wound · plane · rest

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — a position
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. deal — to handle
  6. staff — employees
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rest — a break
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ground — the earth
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. staff — a stick
  21. clip — to cut
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. clip — a video

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