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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stock — goods
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — help
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cue — a signal
  16. branch — a division
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — shares
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bat — in an idiom

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