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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cold — an illness
  5. branch — a division
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. chest — a box
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mark — a trace
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. snap — to click
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cold — not warm
  24. chip — to eat

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