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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: band · plane · foot · dip · shower · wake · spell · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. shower — to wash
  6. foot — a measure
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — letters
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. net — after costs
  14. spell — a short time
  15. plane — a tool
  16. band — a ring
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. net — in sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. dip — to sink
  22. band — a music group
  23. spell — magic
  24. band — a rubber band

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