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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. net — after costs
  5. file — a line of people
  6. drill — the tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. net — for catching
  10. file — a document
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mine — for digging
  13. drill — a practice
  14. staff — employees
  15. drill — army training
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. branch — a division
  19. file — a tool
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. net — in sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mine — an explosive

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