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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bank — for money
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kid — child
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stem — to come from
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cap — of ice
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cap — a hat
  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