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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.

Make a worksheet

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: last · mate · plane · racket · rush · file · branch · bay

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. last — finally
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — a friend
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. last — final
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. plane — a tool
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. last — to go on

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