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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rest — a break
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — to crush
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — a division
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fall — the season
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cold — not warm
  24. branch — of a tree

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