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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · branch · plane · cap · mine · stick · row · rush

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. kick — in football
  3. cap — a hat
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. plane — a tool
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cap — of ice
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. row — a line
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rush — hurry
  23. branch — of a bank
  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