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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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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. file — a document
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wind — moving air
  5. file — a tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. board — a committee
  8. march — music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cap — a lid
  13. shower — to wash
  14. suit — in cards
  15. march — the month
  16. suit — to fit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. board — to get on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. branch — a division
  22. march — the month
  23. suit — clothes
  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