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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. current — happening now
  8. mug — to rob
  9. current — of water
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rush — hurry
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mug — a face
  19. current — electric
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. file — a tool
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. fork — in a road

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