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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: band · ground · plane · mark · last · ball · trunk · land

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mark — a grade
  4. last — final
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — finally
  7. ground — crushed
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. band — a ring
  10. last — to go on
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. ground — a position
  14. ball — a great time
  15. plane — a tool
  16. ball — a dance
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. land — to come down
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. ground — the earth
  24. trunk — of a car

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