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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 · hand · season · rash · chair · cue · branch · chest

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. cue — a signal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rash — hasty
  11. branch — a division
  12. chair — a leader
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rash — a series
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. plane — a tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. chest — a box
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cue — for pool

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