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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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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: plane · chest · roll · branch · cue · kick · date · shower

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. roll — a cake
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. shower — rain
  6. chest — a box
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. shower — to wash
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. branch — a division
  20. cue — for pool
  21. roll — a list
  22. kick — in football
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. kick — a thrill

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