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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. club — for dancing
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. row — a line
  5. plane — a tool
  6. row — to paddle
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. hand — in cards
  10. club — for golf
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kid — to tease
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. hand — help
  15. dip — to sink
  16. branch — a division
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. club — a group
  24. row — a quarrel

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