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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: lean · branch · snap · chair · plane · mate · dip · squash

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. chair — a leader
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. dip — to sink
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. branch — a division

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