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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: bound · wave · foot · bat · chest · plane · staff · mug

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — a face
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mug — to rob
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chest — a box
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bound — certain
  20. plane — a tool
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bound — obliged

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