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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: game · object · rest · plane · perch · kid · band · lean

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. object — a thing
  5. perch — the fish
  6. game — a match
  7. band — a music group
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — a break
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. object — to protest
  19. band — a ring
  20. object — an aim
  21. kid — child
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kid — to tease

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