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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. track — a song
  11. key — in music
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mine — for digging
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cell — in biology
  21. branch — a division
  22. track — a path
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mine — belonging to me

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