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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 116 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. band — a ring
  4. pit — a hole
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chip — for betting
  7. key — in music
  8. chip — to eat
  9. plane — a tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. band — a music group

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