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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: saw · mark · fork · wake · plane · lie · shower · ruler

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mark — a grade
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lie — to recline
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wake — a trail
  24. ruler — for measuring

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