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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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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: stock · hand · scale · sharp · bore · pitcher · land · plane

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bore — to tire
  3. land — ground
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. land — to come down
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stock — goods
  13. hand — help
  14. sharp — clever
  15. land — a country
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. bore — to drill
  19. scale — in music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. sharp — exactly

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