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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wind — moving air
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. band — a music group
  11. clip — to cut
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lie — to recline
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. clip — a video
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wind — moving air
  19. plane — a tool
  20. date — the fruit
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. temple — a place of worship

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