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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. file — a document
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. press — newspapers
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. drill — the tool
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. press — to push
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a tool
  23. march — music
  24. wax — to grow

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