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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rash — a series
  5. hand — help
  6. present — the time now
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tube — the underground
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — there
  12. squash — to crush
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. present — a gift
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tube — a container
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rash — hasty

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