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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: date · band · toast · chest · plane · wound · roll · rush

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. date — the fruit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. band — a music group
  7. roll — a list
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chest — of your body
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. toast — bread
  24. band — a ring

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