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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: fan · wound · key · roll · ground · staff · plane · fall

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fall — to drop
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. roll — a list
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ground — crushed
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ground — a position

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