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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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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 · plane · chest · file · bowl · wind · rest · court

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. branch — a division
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chest — a box
  7. court — of a king
  8. wind — moving air
  9. plane — a tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. file — a document
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. chest — of your body
  16. court — of law
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rest — a break
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wind — to turn a key

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