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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · dip · mine · leaves · scale · field · tube · plane

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. plane — a tool
  4. field — farmland
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mine — for digging
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tube — a container
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. field — for sport
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. field — a subject
  22. dip — to sink
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. dip — a sauce

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