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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: mine · wake · plane · face · can · court · hand · ball

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. can — a tin
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. face — to confront
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. hand — in cards
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wake — a trail
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — for sport
  17. ball — a great time
  18. can — to be able to
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — to point toward
  23. can — a tin
  24. wake — before a funeral

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