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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: plane · hand · pop · cabinet · club · bound · fine · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. bound — obliged
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. hand — help
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. club — a group
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pop — to visit
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pop — soda
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pop — music
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bound — certain

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