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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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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. plane — a tool
  7. squash — to crush
  8. kid — child
  9. pass — a permit
  10. squash — the sport
  11. kid — to tease
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cue — for pool
  16. branch — a division
  17. cue — a signal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cue — a hint
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pass — to spend time

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