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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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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: cell · bank · lean · lash · plane · squash · kid · chip

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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 — a tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bank — for money
  4. kid — to tease
  5. squash — to crush
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bank — for money
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. kid — child
  23. bank — of a river
  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