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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.

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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: branch · march · mine · cap · bark · spell · plane · present

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cap — of ice
  4. present — the time now
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cap — a hat
  7. march — music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. plane — a tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mine — for digging
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. branch — a division
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — a lid
  23. present — a gift
  24. spell — magic

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