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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. file — a tool
  6. dip — to sink
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. file — a line of people
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. file — a document
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. patient — a sick person

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