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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: mate · plane · dip · file · row · fall · content · cell

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fall — the season
  6. cell — a phone
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. file — a document
  9. plane — a tool
  10. file — a tool
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. content — the amount
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. row — a line
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cell — in biology
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — happy
  23. fall — to drop
  24. content — videos and posts

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