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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: lie · bowl · plane · dip · ball · ruler · cell · wake

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. ball — a dance
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cell — in biology
  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