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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bank — for money
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lean — thin
  9. bank — of a river
  10. chest — a box
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bank — for money
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mate — a partner
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mate — to breed
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. plane — in geometry

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