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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: plane · branch · lie · hand · wave · capital · wound · can

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. can — to be able to
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. capital — money
  15. plane — a tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. capital — a city
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. can — a tin
  24. lie — an untruth

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