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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stock — shares
  4. prune — to trim
  5. file — a document
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. can — a tin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. branch — a division
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. chest — a box
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — to be able to
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. file — a tool
  22. stock — goods
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. branch — of a bank

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