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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 120 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: staff · plane · perch · march · cap · ground · rush · kick

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ground — a position
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cap — a lid
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kick — in football
  12. staff — employees
  13. ground — crushed
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rush — hurry
  20. staff — a stick
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. march — music
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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