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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 116 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: rock · band · kid · pound · key · plane · stand · hide

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rock — music
  4. key — in music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. key — for a lock
  9. band — a ring
  10. pound — a weight
  11. kid — child
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — the most important part
  18. plane — a tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pound — to hit hard

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