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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: fork · ball · staff · ruler · toast · band · plane · face

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. staff — employees
  5. toast — bread
  6. ball — a great time
  7. band — a music group
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. staff — a stick
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fork — in a road
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ball — a dance
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. band — a ring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. face — to confront
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. staff — employees
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fork — a garden tool

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