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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. drill — army training
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ground — crushed
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ground — the earth
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. drill — the tool
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. rock — a stone
  13. kid — child
  14. ground — a position
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rock — music
  17. branch — a division
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. sharp — clever
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. band — a rubber band

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