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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: kid · rest · march · wound · nail · plane · squash · pitcher

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rest — a break
  4. squash — the sport
  5. kid — child
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. march — music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. nail — for a hammer

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