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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: perch · hand · rule · wake · plane · file · bore · bowl

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rule — a law
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bore — to drill
  13. file — a line of people
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. file — a document
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. perch — the fish

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