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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. plane — a tool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mine — for digging
  6. land — a country
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. branch — a division
  11. fine — all right
  12. prune — to trim
  13. land — to come down
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. land — ground
  16. degree — an amount
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fine — high quality
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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