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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: chip · plane · bat · branch · key · drill · bark · lean

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bat — the animal
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. branch — a division
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bark — to shout
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lean — to bend
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. plane — a tool
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. key — in music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lean — thin
  23. chip — to eat
  24. lean — to rest against

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