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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 · arm · chair · racket · bear · field · lash · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. field — a subject
  5. bear — the animal
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — farmland
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chair — a leader
  13. field — for sport
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. plane — a tool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bear — the animal

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