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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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468
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: spring · plane · foot · fork · band · tear · squash · mug

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. fork — in a road
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. spring — of water
  5. plane — a tool
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mug — to rob
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tear — from crying
  12. squash — the sport
  13. tear — to rip
  14. squash — to crush
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mug — a face
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spring — the season
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. band — a ring
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — a cup

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