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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: rock · ground · swing · staff · plane · face · pop · coach

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. face — to confront
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. plane — a tool
  9. face — to point toward
  10. swing — to play on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ground — a position
  13. staff — employees
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rock — a stone
  16. ground — the earth
  17. staff — employees
  18. swing — music
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. staff — a stick
  21. swing — in golf
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pop — music

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