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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: chair · staff · fall · plane · season · chip · field · pound

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. field — farmland
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fall — the season
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chip — for betting
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. field — a subject
  18. pound — a weight
  19. season — in sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. staff — a stick
  22. chair — a leader
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — for sport

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