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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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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: wind · lean · plane · cabinet · cue · foot · tear · season

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cue — for pool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cue — a hint
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. foot — a measure
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — a signal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tear — to rip
  21. plane — a tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — moving air
  24. foot — part of the 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