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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. deal — to handle
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bulb — for light
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. branch — a division
  24. bulb — for light

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