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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a tool
  4. branch — a division
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. chair — a leader
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. land — a country
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chair — to sit on

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