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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: nail · chair · mate · safe · row · wind · plane · leaves

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mate — a partner
  12. plane — a tool
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mate — a friend
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. chair — a leader
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wind — moving air

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