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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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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: race · key · plane · chair · bank · lean · cell · rash

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rash — hasty
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. lean — thin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bank — for money
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rash — a series
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. key — in music
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bank — of a river
  18. key — for a lock
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. key — the most important part
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lean — to bend
  24. race — humankind

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