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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 · squash · pitcher · saw · plane · bowl · nail · hand

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — help
  4. chest — a box
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. plane — a tool
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. squash — the sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bowl — to roll

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