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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 116 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: leaves · bat · lie · ruler · wave · plane · saw · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cold — not warm
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lie — to recline
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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