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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. branch — a division
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. can — to be able to
  4. chip — to eat
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. file — a document
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. present — a gift
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a tool
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. craft — boats
  15. can — a tin
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. can — a tin
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. chip — for betting
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  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