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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bass — low music
  4. field — for sport
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. kick — in football
  7. bass — the fish
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. field — farmland
  10. plane — a tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. saw — the tool
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — a subject
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kick — with a leg

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