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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. spring — the season
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. fork — in a road
  13. suit — to fit
  14. spring — a coil
  15. suit — clothes
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. spring — of water
  18. band — a ring
  19. game — a match
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — in cards
  24. fork — a garden 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