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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: wind · plane · track · game · sharp · branch · season · cap

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — to keep track
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wind — moving air
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. track — a path
  12. cap — of ice
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. branch — a division
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. track — a song
  20. game — a match
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. season — in sport
  24. wind — moving air

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