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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: bass · plane · present · branch · trunk · wave · land · roll

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. present — a gift
  3. roll — a cake
  4. branch — a division
  5. roll — a list
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. present — the time now
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bass — the fish
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. present — there
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. land — a country

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