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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 120 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: racket · plane · band · foot · last · spell · club · mine

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. plane — a tool
  3. band — a ring
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — letters
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. last — final
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spell — magic
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. last — to go on
  20. club — a group
  21. foot — a measure
  22. spell — a short time
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. band — a music group

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