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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. land — to come down
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. field — a subject
  7. firm — decided
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. land — a country
  10. mine — for digging
  11. firm — steady
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. firm — a company
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — for sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — a division
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — ground

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