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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: toast · rest · bowl · plane · date · lean · can · file

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rest — a break
  4. toast — bread
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lean — to bend
  7. date — the fruit
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. file — a tool
  11. can — a tin
  12. file — a document
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. lean — thin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rest — what's left
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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