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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bear — the animal
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. branch — a division
  6. spring — a coil
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spring — the season
  9. chest — a box
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spring — of water
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. craft — boats
  21. chest — of your body
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chest — of your body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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