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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 · field · pass · cue · hide · craft · chest · trunk

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. field — for sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. cue — a signal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. plane — a tool
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cue — for pool
  14. craft — boats
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. field — farmland
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. field — a subject
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pass — to spend 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