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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: arm · straw · sharp · plane · lean · band · can · date

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. band — a ring
  5. plane — a tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. date — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. can — to be able to
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. sharp — clever
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. can — a tin
  18. lean — thin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. can — a tin
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. band — a rubber band

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