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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: arm · net · lean · date · ground · plane · club · object

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. net — after costs
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. club — for golf
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. date — the fruit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. net — for catching
  15. plane — a tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. net — in sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ground — the earth
  22. object — an aim
  23. lean — thin
  24. plane — in geometry

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