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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: fall · plane · lean · face · craft · mine · bat · ground

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. face — to confront
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. craft — boats
  10. lean — thin
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. face — to point toward
  13. fall — to drop
  14. craft — a skill
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. ground — a position
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — part of the head

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