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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lie — to recline
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. dip — to sink
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. march — music
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. prune — to trim
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. branch — a division
  21. march — the month
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. plane — a tool
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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