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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. last — final
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wound — an injury
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fine — all right
  18. kid — child
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. kid — to tease
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — a division
  24. fine — high quality

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