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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: rest · lean · chest · plane · march · rash · pound · suit

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. suit — to fit
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. march — music
  6. rest — a break
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. suit — clothes
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. plane — a tool
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rash — hasty
  18. suit — in cards
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — the month
  22. pound — a weight
  23. march — the month
  24. rash — a series

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