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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lean · foot · last · temple · plane · ground · net · cell

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. net — for catching
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cell — a phone
  7. last — to go on
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ground — a position
  11. lean — thin
  12. plane — a tool
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. net — in sport
  17. last — finally
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. ground — the earth
  22. last — final
  23. cell — in biology
  24. foot — a measure

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