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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
468
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: rock · march · saw · fork · lie · plane · spring · band

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rock — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — a stone
  8. spring — the season
  9. march — the month
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. saw — the tool
  12. band — a ring
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. band — a music group
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lie — to recline

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