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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: chip · pit · sharp · march · plane · mate · branch · straw

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pit — a hole
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. march — the month
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chip — for betting
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — a partner
  13. sharp — clever
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. plane — a tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. march — music
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pit — in a race
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mate — a friend

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