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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. current — electric
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. branch — a division
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. current — happening now
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pit — a hole
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pit — in a race
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. current — of water
  24. perch — for a bird

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