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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 124 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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pound — a weight
  3. shower — to wash
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. branch — a division
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. season — of the year
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. object — a thing
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. object — to protest
  18. file — a tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. file — a document
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. object — an aim

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