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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — a position
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. plane — a tool
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. ground — the earth
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitch — a sports field

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