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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. plane — a tool
  5. land — ground
  6. band — a music group
  7. bank — for money
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spell — magic
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. spell — a short time
  14. land — a country
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spell — letters
  19. land — to come down
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. band — a ring
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fork — in a road
  24. patient — a sick person

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