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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: plane · net · hand · row · season · key · face · pound

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. key — the most important part
  9. net — after costs
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. season — in sport
  12. hand — help
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hand — in cards
  15. net — for catching
  16. season — of the year
  17. key — for a lock
  18. net — in sport
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pound — a weight
  22. key — in music
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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