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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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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: hand · rock · cabinet · plane · pound · deal · band · stick

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hand — help
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. plane — a tool
  9. deal — to handle
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rock — music
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. plane — in geometry

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