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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: plane · deal · cap · sharp · fork · land · band · leaves

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. land — to come down
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cap — a hat
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cap — of ice

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