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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: plane · trunk · chest · net · lean · cabinet · court · calf

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chest — of your body
  4. net — in sport
  5. plane — a tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lean — thin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. chest — a box
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. net — after costs
  24. plane — in geometry

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