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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. branch — a division
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. file — a line of people
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. hand — help
  10. ball — a great time
  11. march — music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. file — a tool
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. hand — in cards
  21. march — the month
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. hand — part of the body

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