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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 120 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: squash · fan · chest · plane · prune · lie · land · cabinet

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — the sport
  6. land — a country
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chest — of your body
  13. plane — a tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. squash — to crush
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. land — ground
  20. lie — to recline
  21. chest — a box
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — to come down
  24. chest — of your body

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