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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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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: cap · bore · plane · ground · race · chest · wake · arm

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. plane — in geometry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — a position
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. ground — crushed
  8. race — humankind
  9. wake — a trail
  10. race — a contest
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bore — to drill
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. plane — a tool
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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