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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: date · field · branch · plane · dip · snap · kid · safe

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — for sport
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. dip — to sink
  12. field — a subject
  13. snap — to click
  14. date — the fruit
  15. branch — a division
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — to tease
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kid — child
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. dip — to dunk

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