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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: date · wound · plane · net · club · branch · jam · tear

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. tear — to rip
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tear — from crying
  7. net — after costs
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. club — for golf
  12. net — for catching
  13. club — a group
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. date — the fruit
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. branch — a division
  18. net — in sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. club — for dancing
  21. tear — from crying
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. date — on the calendar

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