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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: bear · plane · mate · band · staff · shower · race · wave

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. race — a contest
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bear — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mate — a friend
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. race — humankind
  18. band — a ring
  19. staff — employees
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mate — a partner
  24. plane — a 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