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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. tube — the underground
  5. land — ground
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. land — a country
  8. rest — a break
  9. plane — a tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. content — happy
  21. branch — a division
  22. content — the amount
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. tube — in a tire

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