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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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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: bowl · lean · cell · toast · fork · lie · wake · squash

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. squash — to crush
  11. toast — bread
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lean — to rest against

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