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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: plane · bowl · cell · bound · last · season · lash · toast

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. last — final
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. last — finally
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bound — obliged
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bound — certain
  17. last — to go on
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cell — a phone
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. toast — bread
  24. cell — in a prison

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