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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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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: plane · kid · pop · rock · pass · rest · pound · file

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. file — a document
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rock — music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — child
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pound — a weight
  13. file — a line of people
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rest — a break
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pop — soda
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — music
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pop — to visit
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pound — for dogs

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