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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: file · band · prune · plane · bowl · lash · ground · lean

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. ground — crushed
  5. file — a tool
  6. ground — the earth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. file — a line of people
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lean — thin
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. file — a document
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. band — a ring
  23. ground — a position
  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