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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: wake · plane · ball · mug · file · branch · chair · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mug — a face
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. ball — a dance
  13. branch — a division
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wake — a trail
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. field — farmland
  22. file — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. field — for sport

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