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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: kick · file · spell · ruler · coach · plane · track · branch

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. kick — in football
  5. file — a tool
  6. branch — a division
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. file — a line of people
  13. plane — a tool
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spell — letters
  16. track — a path
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. file — a document
  23. track — to keep track
  24. ruler — for measuring

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