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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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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 · court · plane · hand · face · deal · leaves · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. band — a ring
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. deal — to handle
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. plane — a tool
  9. hand — help
  10. ground — crushed
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. face — part of the head
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. hand — in cards
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ground — a position
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. court — for sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  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