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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: coach · mate · staff · mug · ground · stick · plane · bound

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bound — obliged
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. plane — a tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mug — to rob
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mug — a cup
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bound — certain
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mate — a partner
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. staff — employees

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