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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: cue · plane · spring · scale · lie · march · chair · net

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. lie — to recline
  6. march — music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. net — after costs
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — a hint
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cue — for pool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. scale — in music

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