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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: bore · bank · plane · hand · staff · ground · straw · bear

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — a position
  4. bore — to tire
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. staff — a stick
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bank — for money
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bank — for money
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. hand — help
  21. bore — to drill
  22. plane — a tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. bear — the animal

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