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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 120 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: bound · field · squash · track · plane · branch · cell · mate

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. track — a path
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bound — obliged
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. branch — a division
  13. mate — a friend
  14. field — for sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — farmland
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. track — a song
  20. bound — certain
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. field — a subject
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. track — to keep track

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