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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: snap · file · branch · hand · dip · staff · plane · chest

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chest — a box
  5. staff — employees
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. dip — to sink
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chest — of your body
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. hand — help
  18. chest — of your body
  19. snap — to click
  20. file — a line of people
  21. plane — a tool
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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