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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: band · ball · wind · cue · plane · arm · row · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. row — to paddle
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cue — a hint
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ball — a dance
  8. band — a music group
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. field — farmland
  12. plane — a tool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cue — for pool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. band — a ring
  18. wind — moving air
  19. row — a line
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — for sport
  24. cue — a signal

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