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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · racket · file · plane · degree · tear · march · ball

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. tear — to rip
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. march — music
  6. degree — from a university
  7. file — a line of people
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ball — a dance
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — an amount
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. ball — a great time
  18. march — the month
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. degree — temperature
  21. branch — a division
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tear — from crying
  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