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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. scale — size or range
  3. land — ground
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. branch — a division
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. chip — for betting
  13. board — to get on
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. plane — a tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. scale — in music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lean — thin
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. land — a country

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