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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. drill — army training
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. net — in sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. file — a tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. net — after costs
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. branch — a division
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cabinet — ministers

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