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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. file — a tool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. can — to be able to
  10. branch — a division
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a document

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