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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. current — happening now
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. plane — a tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. date — the fruit
  12. current — of water
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — a division
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fork — in a road
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kick — in football
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. current — electric
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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