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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: plane · tube · fall · file · hide · hand · field · lean

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. file — a line of people
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — thin
  7. field — farmland
  8. hand — in cards
  9. field — for sport
  10. plane — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. hand — help
  14. fall — the season
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. field — a subject
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to bend

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