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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. season — of the year
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pop — to visit
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. band — a music group
  9. object — an aim
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. object — a thing
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. row — to paddle
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pop — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. band — a ring
  21. plane — a tool
  22. row — a line
  23. pop — soda
  24. plane — an aircraft

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