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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: chip · cabinet · plane · temple · lean · degree · drill · branch

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. plane — a tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chip — to eat
  5. drill — army training
  6. degree — an amount
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. chip — for betting
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. branch — a division
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. degree — from a university
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lean — thin
  24. chip — in a computer

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