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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · plane · press · branch · pitcher · season · file · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. file — a tool
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. season — of the year
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — in sport
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. branch — a division
  21. plane — a tool
  22. track — a song
  23. press — newspapers
  24. sharp — clever

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