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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. sharp — clever
  4. object — an aim
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. branch — a division
  7. bass — low music
  8. file — a tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — the fish
  13. perch — the fish
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. season — of the year

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