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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · chest · bear · net · file · leaves · face · club

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. chest — of your body
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. club — for golf
  8. bear — the animal
  9. face — to confront
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. file — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. club — for dancing
  15. file — a document
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. net — in sport
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bear — the animal
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. club — a group
  23. chest — a box
  24. bear — to put up with

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