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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lean — thin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. band — a music group
  15. lean — to bend
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. band — a ring
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pass — a permit
  23. row — a line
  24. saw — the tool

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