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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: chair · bulb · track · chest · cap · land · plane · bay

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chest — a box
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. track — a song
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bulb — for light
  13. track — to keep track
  14. land — ground
  15. cap — a lid
  16. track — a path
  17. land — to come down
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. land — a country
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chest — of your body
  23. plane — a tool
  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