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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · ground · pitcher · plane · season · hand · bass · mine

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — in sport
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ground — a position
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — of the year
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bass — the fish
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fall — the season
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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