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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: pound · mate · lash · mine · plane · tube · band · date

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a ring
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mate — to breed
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. tube — a container
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. tube — the underground

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