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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
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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: wind · mouse · season · plane · branch · race · spring · march

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spring — the season
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. plane — a tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. race — a contest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. march — the month
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. race — humankind
  24. spring — of water

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