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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. plane — a tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pound — a weight
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. branch — a division

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