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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: bank · rash · chest · plane · land · mouse · kid · arm

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chest — a box
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. land — ground
  6. kid — child
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bank — for money
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. land — to come down
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. plane — a tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bank — for money

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