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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. drill — a practice
  3. row — to paddle
  4. drill — the tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. row — a line
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. file — a document
  18. drill — army training
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. plane — a tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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