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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · band · branch · firm · hand · date · plane · sharp

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. ground — crushed
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ground — the earth
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. date — the fruit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — a division
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — a position
  12. band — a music group
  13. hand — help
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. sharp — clever
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. band — a ring
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. plane — a tool

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