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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.

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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 · stem · deal · branch · file · wind · object · kid

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. file — a tool
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. file — a document
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kid — child
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. object — an aim
  10. deal — to handle
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. branch — a division
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. file — a line of people
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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