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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 120 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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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: rule · firm · kid · plane · band · field · ground · stick

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. plane — a tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a music group
  6. field — for sport
  7. firm — steady
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ground — the earth
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kid — to tease
  14. field — farmland
  15. kid — child
  16. band — a ring
  17. rule — a law
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rule — government
  20. firm — a company
  21. field — a subject
  22. ground — a position
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. ground — crushed

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