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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 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. band — a ring
  10. branch — a division
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bass — low music
  17. craft — a skill
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. nail — for a hammer

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