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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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468
Word bank
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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. present — there
  3. pop — music
  4. present — a gift
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cell — in biology
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. present — the time now
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cell — a phone

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