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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 124 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. plane — a tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of a king
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. suit — in cards
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. court — of law
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. suit — clothes
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. branch — a division
  17. squash — the sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. last — finally
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wound — an injury
  23. court — for sport
  24. suit — to fit

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