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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chest — a box
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rule — a law
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rule — government
  9. tear — to rip
  10. file — a document
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. file — a tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. branch — a division

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