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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · rock · cell · bear · bowl · plane · ground · band

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. ground — a position
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. ground — the earth
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ground — crushed
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rock — music
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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