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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · last · land · plane · leaves · squash · cue · bay

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. last — final
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. chest — a box
  10. squash — the sport
  11. last — to go on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. land — to come down
  14. cue — a signal
  15. last — finally
  16. cue — a hint
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — ground
  19. cue — for pool
  20. land — a country
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chest — of your body

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