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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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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: spell · band · pit · kick · file · plane · nail · row

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. plane — a tool
  4. file — a tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pit — a hole
  7. kick — in football
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. file — a document
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. spell — letters
  15. band — a ring
  16. pit — in a race
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. band — a music group
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. spell — a short time
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. spell — magic
  24. nail — for a hammer

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