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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. march — music
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cell — a phone
  6. file — a document
  7. season — in sport
  8. march — the month
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. file — a tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. branch — a division
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — of the year
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. plane — an aircraft

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