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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: fall · suit · wind · sharp · roll · plane · coach · band

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. band — a music group
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. sharp — clever
  9. plane — a tool
  10. roll — a list
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fall — to drop
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. suit — to fit
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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