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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. file — a document
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cap — of ice
  5. file — a tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — to drop
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — a match
  11. cap — a hat
  12. staff — a stick
  13. clip — a video
  14. game — wild animals
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cap — a lid
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fall — the season

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