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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: bear · stick · file · plane · chest · toast · saw · bass

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bear — the animal
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chest — a box
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. saw — the tool
  17. toast — bread
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — low music
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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