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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: foot · chair · craft · leaves · cue · wind · plane · sharp

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. craft — a skill
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. plane — a tool
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cue — a signal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cue — a hint
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. foot — a measure
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cue — for pool
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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