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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: date · ground · hide · foot · file · plane · spell · wake

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ground — crushed
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. file — a document
  10. ground — a position
  11. file — a tool
  12. spell — letters
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. date — the fruit
  17. spell — a short time
  18. foot — a measure
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. spell — magic
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a line of people
  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