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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: leaves · cue · field · rash · net · spell · plane · branch

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rash — a series
  5. branch — a division
  6. cue — a signal
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. field — farmland
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — a subject
  19. spell — letters
  20. field — for sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. net — after costs
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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