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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chest — of your body
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. branch — a division
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chair — a leader
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. file — a document
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. file — a tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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