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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · scale · cold · bank · plane · season · chest · racket

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bank — for money
  6. scale — in music
  7. plane — a tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. season — of the year
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bank — of a river
  14. land — ground
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. land — to come down
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bank — for money
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. land — a country
  23. cold — not warm
  24. racket — for tennis

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