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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: nail · ground · plane · toast · band · patient · stock · rush

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rush — hurry
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. band — a ring
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stock — goods
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. plane — a tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ground — a position

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