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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. tube — a container
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chair — a leader
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. scale — in music
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. land — a country
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. fork — in a road
  18. branch — a division
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. plane — a tool
  21. tube — the underground
  22. kid — child
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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