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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: branch · object · plane · march · cap · sharp · court · leaves

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. march — music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. object — to protest
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. object — an aim
  7. plane — a tool
  8. branch — a division
  9. object — a thing
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — clever
  12. court — for sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. court — of law
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. court — of a king
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. march — the month
  24. leaves — to go away

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