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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 116 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: branch · plane · tear · staff · race · nail · face · drill

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. staff — employees
  5. plane — a tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. drill — army training
  9. tear — from crying
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. race — humankind
  13. face — part of the head
  14. drill — a practice
  15. race — a contest
  16. tear — from crying
  17. race — the arms race
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. branch — a division
  20. drill — the tool
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tear — to rip
  23. face — to confront
  24. staff — a stick

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