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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 120 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: arm · bound · tear · staff · racket · plane · field · bowl

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tear — to rip
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. staff — employees
  6. field — for sport
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. tear — from crying
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. staff — employees
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — certain
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. field — a subject
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bound — obliged
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. plane — a tool

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