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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: spring · leaves · race · plane · staff · saw · chest · fork

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. staff — a stick
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. plane — a tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chest — a box
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. race — humankind
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. staff — employees
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. spring — of water
  22. staff — employees
  23. chest — of your body
  24. leaves — lets stay

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