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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: plane · rest · cell · wound · temple · squash · roll · foot

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — a measure
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. plane — a tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wound — an injury
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cell — a phone
  12. roll — a list
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. squash — the sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cell — in biology
  17. squash — to crush
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rest — what's left

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