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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. plane — a tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. squash — to crush
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. branch — a division
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. deal — to handle
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. squash — the sport
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kid — child
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. plane — an aircraft

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