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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 120 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: row · plane · club · field · season · wave · band · ground

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. season — in sport
  8. row — a line
  9. field — for sport
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. field — a subject
  15. club — a group
  16. plane — a tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. row — to paddle
  19. season — of the year
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. ground — crushed
  22. club — for golf
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. field — farmland

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