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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: chest · wound · board · cabinet · field · plane · tube · pass

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tube — the underground
  9. board — to get on
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pass — a permit
  14. field — farmland
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — a container
  17. board — a committee
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pass — to spend time

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