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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 116 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: chair · spring · stand · fine · craft · plane

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fine — high quality
  4. craft — a skill
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fine — all right
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. chair — a leader
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. plane — a tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water

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