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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. suit — in cards
  8. file — a line of people
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. deal — to handle
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. file — a tool
  15. suit — to fit
  16. rest — what's left
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. file — a document
  23. branch — a division
  24. fork — in a road

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