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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 124 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kid — child
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. key — for a lock
  5. squash — to crush
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. key — in music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bass — low music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. bass — the fish
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. kid — to tease
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lean — thin
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. squash — the sport

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