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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 · rock · temple · spring · bat · lie · last · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lie — to recline
  6. last — to go on
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rock — music
  10. object — a thing
  11. spring — the season
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. spring — of water
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — a coil
  18. plane — a tool
  19. last — final
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. last — finally
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rock — a stone

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