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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.

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: key · hand · plane · chair · wave · trunk · club · wound

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. club — for golf
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. plane — a tool
  17. key — the most important part
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. club — a group
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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