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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: arm · roll · ground · plane · net · jam · spring · wind

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. net — for catching
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. spring — of water
  8. wind — moving air
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. net — in sport
  13. spring — a coil
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. net — after costs
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. roll — a cake
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — the season

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