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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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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 · pitch · wake · foot · bowl · bear · chair · saw

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. saw — the tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wake — a trail
  24. plane — an aircraft

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