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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: plane · toast · band · rest · prune · bass · pound · degree

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bass — the fish
  3. degree — from a university
  4. band — a ring
  5. prune — to trim
  6. toast — bread
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — a break
  11. band — a music group
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pound — a weight
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — low music
  21. plane — a tool
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. pound — for dogs

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