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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: straw · bulb · bound · chair · game · chest · plane · branch

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. chair — a leader
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. branch — a division
  6. game — a match
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. game — wild animals
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bulb — for light

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