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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · rock · rule · club · plane · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rule — government
  8. club — a group
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. club — for golf
  17. rock — music
  18. rule — a law

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