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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. cold — an illness
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cold — not warm
  5. snap — to click
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. track — a song
  11. foot — a measure
  12. track — to keep track
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. track — a path
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. branch — a division
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. plane — a tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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