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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 · plane · spring · mug · band · lean · rest · toast

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. rest — what's left
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lean — to bend
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. plane — a tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mug — to rob
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — of water
  14. lean — thin
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. toast — bread
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rest — a break
  19. spring — the season
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. net — after costs
  22. mug — a face
  23. net — for catching
  24. lean — to rest against

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