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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: court · hand · spring · plane · craft · stand · chest · tube

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tube — a container
  9. stand — to bear
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chest — of your body
  17. spring — of water
  18. craft — a skill
  19. court — of a king
  20. hand — help
  21. court — for sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. plane — a tool
  24. court — of law

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