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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · land · saw · bass · season · bark · plane · game

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. season — in sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — low music
  12. land — a country
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. game — a match
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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