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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
468
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: band · current · ball · degree · key · plane · lie · spring

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. key — the most important part
  5. plane — a tool
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. current — of water
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. key — for a lock
  15. degree — an amount
  16. key — in music
  17. current — electric
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. current — happening now
  22. ball — a dance
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lie — to recline

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