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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: pitcher · scale · plane · spring · file · craft · chair · pass

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. chair — a leader
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. file — a tool
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. file — a document
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. pass — a permit
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. scale — size or range
  18. file — a line of people
  19. craft — boats
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spring — the season
  23. plane — a tool
  24. scale — in music

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