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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rock — a stone
  4. branch — a division
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mark — a trace
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mark — a grade
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — a match
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rock — music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. file — a document
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. toast — bread
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rock — to move gently

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