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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.

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: season · cold · plane · branch · file · deal · firm · trunk

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cold — an illness
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. file — a tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. file — a document
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. firm — steady
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. firm — a company
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. branch — a division
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. firm — decided
  24. deal — to handle

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