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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · squash · branch · deal · kick · chair · hide · plane

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chair — a leader
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. branch — a division
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. kick — in football
  15. deal — to handle
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. squash — to crush
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hide — animal skin

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