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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. kick — in football
  11. land — ground
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. land — a country
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hand — help
  17. cell — in biology
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. branch — a division
  20. land — to come down
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. lean — to bend
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cell — a phone

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