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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: bank · wake · hand · plane · chip · lean · game · squash

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wake — a trail
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lean — thin
  8. game — a match
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. chip — to eat
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. hand — in cards
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bank — for money
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hand — help
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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