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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 120 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: prune · calf · branch · plane · pit · bowl · fine · file

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. branch — a division
  6. pit — a hole
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. file — a tool
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fine — all right
  17. file — a line of people
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. file — a document
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fine — high quality
  24. prune — the fruit

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