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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 · bank · hand · chair · lash · bowl · chip · swing

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bank — for money
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chip — for betting
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bank — for money
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — to eat
  22. plane — a tool
  23. swing — music
  24. hand — part of the body

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