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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 · rash · nail · plane · row · season · foot · drill

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. season — of the year
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. plane — a tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chest — a box
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chest — of your body
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. season — in sport
  23. row — a line
  24. plane — in geometry

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