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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: leaves · plane · content · rush · row · key · ground · trunk

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rush — hurry
  3. key — for a lock
  4. plane — a tool
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. key — the most important part
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. key — in music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ground — a position
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ground — crushed
  20. content — the amount
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. plane — in geometry

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