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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · plane · key · scale · capital · staff · band · net

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. scale — size or range
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. scale — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. capital — money
  11. net — after costs
  12. row — to paddle
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a music group
  15. row — a line
  16. staff — employees
  17. capital — a city
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. staff — employees
  21. net — for catching
  22. staff — a stick
  23. plane — a tool
  24. capital — a big letter

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