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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. mug — a face
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mug — to rob
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. plane — a tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. band — a ring
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a music group
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. branch — a division
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mug — a cup
  24. branch — of a tree

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