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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. plane — a tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. squash — the sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lean — thin
  11. land — ground
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — rain
  19. squash — to crush
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lean — to bend
  23. land — a country
  24. squash — the vegetable

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