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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 120 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: root · swing · chest · plane · branch · bark · mine · squash

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. squash — to crush
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. swing — in golf
  6. plane — a tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. swing — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chest — a box
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. root — of a word
  24. plane — in geometry

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