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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 120 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: dip · firm · fine · plane · ground · spring · file · mine

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. dip — to sink
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. spring — the season
  9. file — a document
  10. spring — a coil
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — a company
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. spring — of water
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. file — a tool
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. file — a line of people

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