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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: plane · tube · fan · ground · object · mine · arm · last

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — finally
  4. ground — a position
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. last — to go on
  8. object — a thing
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. plane — a tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. object — to protest
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. object — an aim
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tube — a container
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — the earth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. last — final
  23. ground — crushed
  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