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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. branch — a division
  4. sharp — clever
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mate — a friend
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mate — to breed
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. hand — in cards
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bark — to shout
  17. kick — in football
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. plane — a tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hand — help
  24. sharp — with an edge

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