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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: plane · ground · pitcher · chest · track · dip · coach · perch

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — the fish
  4. plane — a tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. track — a song
  8. chest — of your body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — a box
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. ground — crushed
  13. track — a path
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — a position
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. plane — an aircraft

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