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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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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: branch · kid · chair · lie · mark · plane · staff · bat

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. lie — to recline
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. staff — employees
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kid — to tease
  16. branch — a division
  17. kid — child
  18. mark — a trace
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bat — the animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  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