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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: plane · bat · mouse · branch · staff · tear · fork · sharp

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. staff — employees
  20. tear — from crying
  21. branch — a division
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. staff — a stick

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