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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. kid — child
  6. drill — the tool
  7. present — there
  8. file — a line of people
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. file — a tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. present — a gift
  17. branch — a division
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. present — the time now
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. branch — of a tree

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