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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: drill · mark · branch · last · plane · suit · date · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. drill — the tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. mark — a trace
  10. last — to go on
  11. drill — army training
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. suit — in cards
  15. last — final
  16. mark — a grade
  17. last — finally
  18. drill — a practice
  19. kid — child
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. date — the fruit
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  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