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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: face · cabinet · deal · band · game · row · field · plane

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. row — to paddle
  3. face — part of the head
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. face — to point toward
  8. row — a line
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. game — wild animals
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — to confront
  23. field — a subject
  24. game — a match

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