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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rock — a stone
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bound — obliged
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. face — to confront
  11. rock — music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bound — certain
  14. board — to get on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. board — a committee
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. face — to point toward
  21. band — a music group
  22. bound — tied together
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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