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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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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: spell · temple · plane · game · land · band · staff · straw

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. spell — magic
  3. land — a country
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. land — ground
  8. staff — employees
  9. band — a ring
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. spell — letters
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. staff — a stick
  19. plane — a tool
  20. land — to come down
  21. spell — a short time
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a music group
  24. straw — a straw man

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