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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.

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: chair · field · trunk · spell · bay · can · cold · plane

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. field — farmland
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. can — a tin
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. spell — magic
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cold — an illness
  11. field — a subject
  12. spell — letters
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. can — to be able to
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. field — for sport
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. can — a tin
  22. spell — a short time
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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