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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. file — a tool
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. lean — thin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. lean — to bend
  8. swing — music
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fall — the season
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. branch — a division
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. file — a document
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fall — to drop
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. swing — in golf
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. swing — to play 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