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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: toast · band · mug · cue · staff · bass · plane · field

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. field — a subject
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cue — a hint
  10. band — a music group
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mug — a face
  13. toast — bread
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bass — the fish
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bass — low music
  19. band — a ring
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — employees
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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