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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: rest · mate · branch · rule · plane · pound · date · wake

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rest — what's left
  4. branch — a division
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. plane — a tool
  15. date — the fruit
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mate — a friend
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pound — a weight
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. date — on the calendar

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