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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: branch · face · plane · scale · safe · fan · board · straw

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — to point toward
  6. board — to get on
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. branch — a division
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. face — to confront
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. scale — in music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. face — part of the head
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. plane — a tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. plane — an aircraft

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