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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · plane · ground · chest · cold · leaves · nail · key

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stand — to bear
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cold — not warm
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. key — in music
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cold — an illness
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chest — a box
  14. key — the most important part
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. key — for a lock
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — a position
  24. chest — of your body

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