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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 · can · foot · swing · rash · branch · pitcher · last

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — hasty
  3. can — to be able to
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. last — finally
  6. can — a tin
  7. swing — in golf
  8. foot — a measure
  9. swing — music
  10. branch — a division
  11. rash — a series
  12. can — a tin
  13. swing — to play on
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — final
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. last — to go on

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