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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 · safe · row · straw · plane · season · scale · hand

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ground — the earth
  5. hand — help
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — of the year
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. season — in sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. plane — a tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. scale — in music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ground — a position
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. row — a line
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — to add flavour

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