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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. suit — in cards
  3. present — the time now
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. plane — a tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a music group
  16. hand — in cards
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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