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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. plane — a tool
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. clip — for paper
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. clip — a video
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. kick — in football
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. branch — a division
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. game — a match
  24. mouse — for a computer

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