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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 120 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 · current · prune · bound · season · chest · plane · content

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. chest — a box
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. season — of the year
  17. current — of water
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. plane — a tool
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. prune — to trim
  24. plane — an aircraft

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