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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 · drill · lie · bowl · club · tear · net · mug

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. club — for dancing
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. net — after costs
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mug — a face
  12. tear — from crying
  13. drill — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — to recline
  16. drill — army training
  17. mug — a cup
  18. net — in sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mug — to rob
  22. net — for catching
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bowl — a football final

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