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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bark · can · chest · plane · perch · march · field · chair

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — music
  3. can — a tin
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. can — to be able to
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — a subject
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chest — a box
  18. field — farmland
  19. march — the month
  20. perch — the fish
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — for sport
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chair — a leader

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