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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. club — a group
  6. file — a document
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — for golf
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. file — a tool
  18. game — a match
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — to trim
  22. file — a line of people
  23. game — wild animals
  24. prune — the fruit

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