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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: key · plane · chest · spring · rock · kick · wave · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. key — in music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spring — the season
  16. march — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — of water
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rock — music
  22. chest — a box
  23. key — for a lock
  24. chest — of your 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