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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — for digging
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — letters
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rest — what's left
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spell — a short time
  15. plane — a tool
  16. band — a ring
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rest — a break
  19. spell — magic
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mark — a trace
  22. file — a tool
  23. deal — to handle
  24. band — a rubber band

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