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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. file — a document
  6. branch — a division
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. race — humankind
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rock — a stone
  17. race — the arms race
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. race — a contest
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. straw — dry grass

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