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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: straw · rest · ground · staff · plane · fine · nail · spell

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spell — letters
  3. rest — what's left
  4. staff — employees
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. staff — employees
  7. ground — crushed
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rest — a break
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ground — a position
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. plane — a tool
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ground — the earth
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — high quality
  24. staff — a stick

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