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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. season — in sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. band — a music group
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. season — of the year

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