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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: can · net · wake · plane · face · ground · band · rock

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. can — to be able to
  3. face — part of the head
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. band — a music group
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rock — a stone
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. band — a ring
  21. plane — a tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — to confront
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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