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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: plane · cap · toast · pound · mark · band · object · land

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cap — of ice
  4. band — a music group
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. land — a country
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cap — a lid
  10. object — a thing
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. land — to come down
  13. object — to protest
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. object — an aim
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. land — ground
  22. plane — a tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. pound — to hit hard

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