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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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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: board · rest · plane · hand · ground · last · shower · cabinet

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. last — finally
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — a position
  11. shower — to wash
  12. last — final
  13. board — to get on
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rest — a break
  17. board — a committee
  18. last — to go on
  19. shower — rain
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — help
  23. ground — the earth
  24. hand — in cards

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