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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: toast · mate · land · band · plane · deal · prune · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. toast — bread
  4. band — a ring
  5. land — ground
  6. key — in music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. land — to come down
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. band — a music group
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. land — a country
  13. mate — a friend
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — the most important part
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mate — to breed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. deal — to handle
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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