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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.

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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: hand · lean · charge · cell · cue · pitcher · ground · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lean — to bend
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. charge — in control
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cue — a hint
  16. hand — in cards
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — a price
  20. ground — a position
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cell — in biology
  24. hand — help

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