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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fine — high quality
  4. branch — a division
  5. spring — the season
  6. court — of a king
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — for sport
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fall — the season
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — to drop
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fine — all right
  21. court — of law
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — of water

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