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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: content · plane · face · season · game · branch · saw · board

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. branch — a division
  5. board — to get on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — part of the head
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — a committee
  10. face — to point toward
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. content — the amount
  18. face — to confront
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. content — happy
  23. plane — a tool
  24. game — wild animals

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