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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 116 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: fan · chair · branch · plane · hand · fork · pitch · cell

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cell — a phone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. branch — a division
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hand — in cards
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — help
  24. cell — in biology

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