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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. spring — the season
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bound — certain
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chair — a leader
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bound — tied together
  15. craft — boats
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. bound — obliged
  21. branch — a division
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. plane — in geometry

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