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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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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 · cap · temple · lean · fall · cell · wave · clip

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. lean — thin
  13. plane — a tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cell — a phone
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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