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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: band · fine · land · plane · rash · roll · shower · mug

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. rash — hasty
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mug — to rob
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. land — ground
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fine — all right
  17. shower — rain
  18. roll — a cake
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. land — to come down
  21. roll — a list
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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