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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bass — low music
  6. branch — a division
  7. object — an aim
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. object — to protest
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rest — what's left
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — a thing
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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