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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. plane — a tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. shower — rain
  9. cap — of ice
  10. spring — the season
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. branch — a division
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil

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