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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. branch — a division
  3. plane — a tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. vault — a safe
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. fine — all right
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ground — a position
  24. content — the amount

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