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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. clip — for paper
  3. branch — a division
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. file — a line of people
  7. march — the month
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bat — the animal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. march — music
  14. file — a tool
  15. rock — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stand — to bear
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. clip — a video
  23. rock — a stone
  24. march — the month

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