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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. board — a committee
  3. hand — in cards
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hand — help
  15. branch — a division
  16. prune — to trim
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. branch — of a tree

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