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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · field · plane · chair · lean · wave · craft · cabinet

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rash — a series
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lean — to bend
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. field — a subject
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. lean — thin

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