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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: fall · cap · ground · wind · bore · roll · squash · plane

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. ground — a position
  3. cap — of ice
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cap — a hat
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bore — to tire
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fall — to drop
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fall — the season
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. ground — the earth

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