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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. file — a document
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. shower — to wash
  9. press — to push
  10. swing — in golf
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bark — to shout
  14. shower — rain
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. file — a tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. file — a line of people

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