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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.

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: plane · tear · field · bark · pitch · chair · chest · stock

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chest — a box
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — a subject
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stock — shares
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. field — farmland
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — for sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chair — a leader

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