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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: nail · racket · object · branch · plane · mark · field · straw

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. field — farmland
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mark — a trace
  17. plane — a tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. object — an aim
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. branch — a division

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