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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · lash · plane · staff · drill · ground · cold · bound

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. drill — army training
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cold — an illness
  8. staff — employees
  9. ground — a position
  10. plane — a tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bound — certain
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bound — tied together
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cold — the Cold War

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