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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: lean · hand · court · cell · tear · nail · plane · row

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. hand — help
  6. court — of law
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — for sport
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lean — thin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. row — a line
  20. lean — to bend
  21. tear — to rip
  22. plane — a tool
  23. court — of a king
  24. cell — a phone

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