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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: plane · net · perch · cabinet · court · spring · ground · pit

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ground — the earth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — a position
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spring — of water
  12. court — of law
  13. net — for catching
  14. court — for sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — the season
  17. net — after costs
  18. ground — crushed
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. net — in sport
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. court — of a king
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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