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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · rash · cell · club · squash · mine · pop · staff

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. club — a group
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. club — for dancing
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. squash — the sport
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rash — a series
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. club — for golf
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mine — for digging

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