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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: plane · wave · chip · arm · chest · swing · field · trunk

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chip — to eat
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chest — a box
  5. field — for sport
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. swing — music
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — a tool
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. swing — to play on
  16. field — farmland
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. field — a subject
  24. trunk — of a tree

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