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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. branch — a division
  3. file — a line of people
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. file — a document
  6. row — to paddle
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. current — electric
  12. field — a subject
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. field — for sport
  15. rock — a stone
  16. current — happening now
  17. field — farmland
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rock — music
  20. row — a line
  21. current — of water
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. file — a tool

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