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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: craft · field · saw · tube · band · roll · plane · hide

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. band — a music group
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. field — farmland
  10. roll — a cake
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. craft — a skill
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. saw — the tool
  15. roll — a list
  16. field — for sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. field — a subject
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — a container

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