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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: chair · bulb · stick · toast · file · safe · plane · field

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chair — a leader
  4. field — farmland
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. file — a document
  9. field — for sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bulb — for light
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. field — a subject
  24. plane — a tool

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