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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: face · net · band · object · temple · fan · plane · date

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. band — a ring
  8. net — for catching
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. face — to point toward
  11. date — the fruit
  12. face — to confront
  13. object — an aim
  14. net — in sport
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. net — after costs
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. plane — a tool
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. band — a music group

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