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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wind — moving air
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. track — a song
  14. spell — magic
  15. wind — moving air
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spell — a short time
  19. track — a path
  20. spell — letters
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. plane — a tool
  24. jam — in traffic

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