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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: clip · plane · ground · bound · fork · key · tube · pitcher

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bound — certain
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ground — crushed
  6. clip — for paper
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — tied together
  10. key — in music
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. key — for a lock
  13. clip — to cut
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — a video
  20. tube — a container
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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