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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 116 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 · file · straw · fall · scale · rush · rest · chair

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. scale — in music
  3. file — a tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. plane — a tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. file — a document
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rest — a break
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. fall — the season
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. straw — a straw man

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