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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 120 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 · bowl · wake · lie · trunk · pop · hand · cabinet

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pop — soda
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lie — to recline
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pop — music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. plane — a tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. hand — help
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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