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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: wound · wind · plane · roll · calf · pit · court · bass

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bass — the fish
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. court — of a king
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. roll — a list
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wind — moving air
  15. court — of law
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wound — an injury
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bass — low music
  24. roll — a cake

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