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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. staff — employees
  6. branch — a division
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. staff — a stick
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. staff — employees
  21. foot — a measure
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lean — to rest against

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