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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: plane · prune · ground · wind · charge · drill · season · pit

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. drill — the tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — in a race
  6. drill — army training
  7. ground — a position
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wind — moving air
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pit — a hole
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. prune — to trim
  16. charge — electricity
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. plane — a tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. season — in sport
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wind — moving air
  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