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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 120 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: rest · pound · pitcher · kid · face · saw · stock · plane

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rest — a break
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pound — a weight
  13. kid — to tease
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stock — goods
  16. kid — child
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. face — part of the head
  20. plane — a tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — to confront
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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