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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 116 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: bowl · rash · plane · straw · band · object · field · last

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. plane — a tool
  5. field — farmland
  6. last — final
  7. band — a music group
  8. object — an aim
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — finally
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. object — to protest
  15. rash — a series
  16. band — a ring
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rash — hasty
  19. last — to go on
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — a subject
  24. object — a thing

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