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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. last — final
  3. hand — help
  4. board — to get on
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. board — a committee
  22. last — finally
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. last — to go on

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