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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: trunk · mug · plane · ground · mate · wind · staff · net

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. net — after costs
  5. mate — a partner
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — in sport
  10. mug — a face
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wind — moving air
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ground — a position
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mug — to rob
  19. net — for catching
  20. mate — a friend
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. staff — employees
  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