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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: temple · plane · fine · file · court · wax · spring · branch

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — a coil
  10. branch — a division
  11. court — of law
  12. spring — the season
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. spring — of water
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. court — of a king
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. court — for sport
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wax — to grow

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