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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lean — thin
  14. track — a path
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pop — music
  20. branch — a division
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. perch — the fish
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pop — to visit

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