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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: net · spell · file · plane · chest · stick · cue · fall

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. net — in sport
  4. spell — a short time
  5. file — a tool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — the season
  10. cue — for pool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chest — a box
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. file — a document
  23. spell — letters
  24. chest — of your body

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