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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. net — after costs
  3. plane — a tool
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fine — all right
  13. current — electric
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. file — a document
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. net — in sport

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