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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. net — after costs
  4. pop — music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. net — for catching
  7. branch — a division
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — in sport
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. kid — child
  12. pop — soda
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lean — thin
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. plane — a tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. plane — in geometry

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