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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: land · cell · lean · patient · plane · branch · squash · row

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. plane — a tool
  5. squash — the sport
  6. row — to paddle
  7. land — a country
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — a line
  12. cell — a phone
  13. land — to come down
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lean — to bend
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. branch — a division
  22. lean — thin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. plane — an aircraft

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