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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 · suit · branch · season · mine · plane · net · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. suit — to fit
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mine — for digging
  5. suit — in cards
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. suit — clothes
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chip — for betting
  13. plane — a tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — for catching
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. season — of the year
  21. branch — a division
  22. season — in sport
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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