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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.

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: season · saw · chair · tube · last · cell · rock · plane

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. season — of the year
  3. cell — in biology
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. last — finally
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chair — a leader
  11. last — to go on
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rock — music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. tube — the underground
  24. last — final

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