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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. file — a tool
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. branch — a division
  5. chest — of your body
  6. track — to keep track
  7. file — a document
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. scale — in music
  10. track — a path
  11. firm — decided
  12. wind — moving air
  13. firm — a company
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. firm — steady
  17. scale — size or range
  18. chest — a box
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chest — of your body
  22. track — a song
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. file — a line of people

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