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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 · face · stick · dip · plane · bay · file · rash

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rash — hasty
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. dip — to sink
  14. lie — to recline
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rash — a series
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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