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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rule — government
  6. wind — moving air
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. present — a gift
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. present — the time now
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rule — a law
  20. file — a document
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. file — a line of people
  23. suit — clothes
  24. file — a tool

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