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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. file — a document
  5. cap — a hat
  6. track — to keep track
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. track — a song
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. plane — a tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. file — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bark — to shout
  22. track — a path
  23. branch — a division
  24. plane — an aircraft

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