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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: field · snap · plane · branch · straw · fall · racket · mug

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fall — to drop
  4. plane — a tool
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. field — farmland
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. field — for sport
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mug — a cup
  15. branch — a division
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fall — the season
  19. field — a subject
  20. mug — to rob
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. snap — to click
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — a face

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