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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 · sharp · date · chip · roll · cell · staff · band

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. chip — to eat
  3. staff — employees
  4. roll — a list
  5. cell — in biology
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. plane — a tool
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. roll — a cake
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cell — a phone
  16. date — the fruit
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. staff — employees
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. staff — a stick
  21. chip — for betting
  22. sharp — clever
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. sharp — with an edge

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