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

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lean — to bend
  6. branch — a division
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — thin
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mine — an explosive

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