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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.

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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 · bowl · arm · safe · chair · cell · spell · wind

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. spell — letters
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spell — magic
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. spell — a short time

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