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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 124 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: wake · plane · coach · mate · swing · chair · pound · field

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. field — a subject
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mate — a friend
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. field — farmland
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — to breed
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chair — a leader
  14. field — for sport
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pound — a weight
  20. swing — music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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