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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.

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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 · rest · lash · sharp · plane · spell · fine · saw

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fine — high quality
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fine — all right
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. plane — a tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. spell — magic
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ground — a position
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. saw — the 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