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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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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: band · roll · court · tear · deal · lean · plane · chip

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chip — to eat
  5. court — of law
  6. band — a music group
  7. court — of a king
  8. tear — from crying
  9. band — a ring
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. chip — for betting
  20. roll — a list
  21. lean — thin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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