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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. branch — a division
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. plane — an aircraft

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