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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: plane · nail · pitch · fine · wound · branch · spring · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. spring — the season
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fine — all right
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spring — of water
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. branch — a division
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wound — an injury

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