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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.

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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: plane · branch · cell · patient · nail · snap · row · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. object — an aim
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. snap — to click
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. object — a thing
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — a tool
  19. row — to paddle
  20. branch — a division
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. object — to protest
  23. row — a line
  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