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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. toast — bread
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. band — a ring
  5. face — part of the head
  6. plane — a tool
  7. stock — goods
  8. swing — to play on
  9. craft — boats
  10. swing — music
  11. band — a music group
  12. craft — a skill
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stock — shares
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — a division
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. face — to confront
  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