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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. land — a country
  5. lean — thin
  6. band — a music group
  7. present — the time now
  8. band — a ring
  9. present — a gift
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. saw — the tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. present — there
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. saw — the 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