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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: key · fall · plane · last · row · fan · saw · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — to paddle
  4. band — a ring
  5. key — for a lock
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. key — in music
  8. last — final
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fall — to drop
  13. last — finally
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — the season
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. plane — a tool
  21. row — a line
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fan — a supporter

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