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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. file — a document
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bank — for money
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bore — to drill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a tool
  19. bank — of a river
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. face — part of the head
  22. net — after costs
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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