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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: key · plane · scale · toast · wound · net · chest · stick

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. chest — a box
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — in music
  10. plane — a tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chest — of your body
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. scale — in music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. toast — bread
  20. scale — size or range
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. key — for a lock

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