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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — for digging
  9. scale — in music
  10. band — a ring
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a music group
  16. rest — a break
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. plane — a tool

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