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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: ground · club · mug · clip · leaves · nail · row · plane

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. row — to paddle
  4. club — a group
  5. mug — a cup
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mug — to rob
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. plane — a tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mug — a face
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. row — a line
  22. ground — a position
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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