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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 116 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: plane · present · tube · cell · ball · lie · chair · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cell — in biology
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. present — the time now
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ball — a great time
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ball — a dance
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. drill — army training
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. tube — a container
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. lie — an untruth

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