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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: band · nail · cell · pound · bowl · march · saw · plane

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cell — in biology
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. march — music
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pound — a weight
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. saw — the tool
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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