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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: wound · branch · cabinet · bat · foot · plane · bark · fine

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. branch — a division
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bark — to shout
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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