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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 116 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: club · wind · wound · game · sharp · cue · plane · field

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. field — farmland
  5. club — for golf
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cue — a signal
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. field — for sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cue — a hint
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cue — for pool

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