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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: lie · rush · plane · chest · wound · bulb · rash · wake

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chest — a box

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