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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: roll · mouse · last · spring · nail · plane · track · ground

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. roll — a cake
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. plane — a tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. spring — of water
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. spring — the season
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. last — finally
  21. track — a song
  22. ground — crushed
  23. track — a path
  24. roll — a list

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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