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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. prune — to trim
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a line of people
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cap — a hat
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cap — of ice
  16. file — a document
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. coach — a trainer

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