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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: temple · plane · last · net · lean · land · racket · stock

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. last — to go on
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stock — goods
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. land — ground
  19. last — final
  20. net — in sport
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stock — shares
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. last — finally

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