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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. band — a music group
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. land — ground
  6. band — a ring
  7. land — a country
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. board — to get on
  14. date — the fruit
  15. roll — a cake
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. board — a committee
  19. land — to come down
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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