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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 120 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 · net · present · foot · safe · cell · fall · lean

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. foot — a measure
  5. present — there
  6. fall — to drop
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. present — the time now
  9. lean — to bend
  10. net — for catching
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fall — the season
  13. lean — thin
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. present — a gift
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cell — a phone
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. net — in sport
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cell — in biology
  24. net — after costs

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