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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: scale · plane · sharp · band · net · kick · capital · lean

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. net — after costs
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. sharp — clever
  5. scale — in music
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. kick — in football
  8. band — a music group
  9. plane — a tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. net — for catching
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. net — in sport
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. capital — a city
  21. band — a ring
  22. capital — money
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. scale — size or range

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