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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pop — to visit
  12. plane — a tool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. track — a path
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. file — a tool
  22. kid — child
  23. branch — a division
  24. file — a document

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