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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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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: band · stick · rest · wave · key · plane · field · cell

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. band — a music group
  3. field — for sport
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rest — a break
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. band — a ring
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. field — farmland
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cell — in biology
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. field — a subject
  24. key — for a lock

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