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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. shower — to wash
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bank — for money
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chest — a box
  13. shower — rain
  14. branch — a division
  15. bank — of a river
  16. file — a document
  17. scale — in music
  18. bank — for money
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — thin
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chest — of your body

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