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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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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: chest · branch · bay · plane · snap · bowl · cell · stock

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stock — goods
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chest — a box
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stock — shares
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. branch — a division
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cell — in a prison

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