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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: lean · ruler · file · cell · wax · plane · pitch · march

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. file — a document
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. march — the month
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cell — in biology
  19. file — a tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lean — thin

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