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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. band — a ring
  22. plane — a tool
  23. game — a match
  24. ruler — for measuring

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