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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bore — to tire
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. club — a group
  7. object — an aim
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hand — help
  10. row — a line
  11. chip — for betting
  12. club — for dancing
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. chip — to eat
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. row — to paddle
  19. branch — a division
  20. object — to protest
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. object — a thing
  23. bore — to drill
  24. club — for golf

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