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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: net · wind · racket · straw · band · roll · plane · key

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wind — moving air
  5. net — for catching
  6. key — for a lock
  7. band — a music group
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. band — a ring
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. net — in sport
  14. key — the most important part
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. key — in music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. roll — a list
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. net — after costs
  22. plane — a tool
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. roll — on a roll

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