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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 116 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — a division
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. track — a song
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. track — a path
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cell — in biology
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cell — a phone
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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