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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. branch — a division
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — a path
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fine — all right
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. plane — in geometry

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