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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: deal · wind · chest · trunk · ground · plane · wake · scale

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chest — a box
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. scale — size or range
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ground — a position
  24. plane — a tool

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