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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. land — a country
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. band — a music group
  9. clip — a video
  10. land — to come down
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. band — a ring
  15. land — ground
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. toast — bread
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spring — the season

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