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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.

Words on the sheet
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: plane · nail · saw · file · bass · straw · spell · ground

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. file — a document
  7. ground — the earth
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ground — a position
  10. spell — a short time
  11. plane — a tool
  12. spell — letters
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. file — a tool
  21. ground — crushed
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. file — a line of people
  24. straw — a straw man

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