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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 116 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: fork · plane · wind · suit · staff · band · degree · bank

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. degree — from a university
  3. staff — employees
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bank — for money
  7. plane — a tool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bank — of a river
  11. staff — employees
  12. band — a ring
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. band — a music group
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bank — for money
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fork — in a road

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