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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.

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: plane · staff · drill · pitcher · ground · pound · cap · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. staff — employees
  3. fall — to drop
  4. drill — a practice
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. ground — a position
  8. plane — a tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cap — a hat
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — of ice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. ground — the earth
  18. drill — army training
  19. pound — a weight
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fall — the season

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