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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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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. ball — a dance
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. branch — a division
  6. ball — a great time
  7. land — ground
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bulb — for light
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. plane — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. staff — employees
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. staff — a stick
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. nail — for a hammer

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