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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 120 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: branch · file · perch · spell · court · land · plane · firm

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. file — a tool
  4. plane — a tool
  5. perch — the fish
  6. branch — a division
  7. land — to come down
  8. spell — magic
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — a short time
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. spell — letters
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. firm — steady
  22. file — a document
  23. court — of law
  24. file — a line of people

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