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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: pop · game · can · band · lean · plane · cap · ground

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. game — a match
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pop — soda
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lean — to bend
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. can — a tin
  9. pop — music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cap — of ice
  14. band — a ring
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ground — a position
  18. cap — a lid
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — to be able to
  21. lean — thin
  22. cap — a hat
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. can — a tin

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