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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: club · stock · plane · pound · face · band · last · bowl

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stock — shares
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. club — for dancing
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — final
  9. band — a ring
  10. stock — goods
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pound — a weight
  16. club — a group
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. face — to confront
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. face — to point toward
  24. band — a music group

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