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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
468
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: plane · race · racket · fine · shower · last · press · branch

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. last — to go on
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. race — the arms race
  5. plane — a tool
  6. race — a contest
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. race — humankind
  9. branch — a division
  10. shower — rain
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. last — finally
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. press — to push
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fine — all right
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fine — high quality
  24. last — final

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