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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: kid · bank · bat · pop · chest · track · plane · ruler

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pop — soda
  4. bank — for money
  5. pop — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. chest — of your body
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bank — for money
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bat — the animal
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. track — a path
  18. chest — a box
  19. kid — to tease
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. kid — child

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