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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: land · chest · plane · lash · wave · season · stick · ball

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. land — to come down
  6. season — in sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. ball — a dance
  19. plane — a tool
  20. season — of the year
  21. chest — of your body
  22. land — ground
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — to add flavour

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