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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · ball · cell · net · pound · spell · bass · lie

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. bass — the fish
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cell — a phone
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. net — in sport
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. spell — a short time
  14. net — for catching
  15. ball — a dance
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — in biology
  19. net — after costs
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. plane — in geometry

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