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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: stem · plane · squash · file · ground · bowl · lie · toast

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. ground — the earth
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stem — to come from
  8. toast — bread
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ground — a position
  11. plane — a tool
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. lie — to recline
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. file — a tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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