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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spell — letters
  6. branch — a division
  7. rest — a break
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rest — what's left
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. board — to get on
  16. craft — a skill
  17. file — a line of people
  18. board — a committee
  19. file — a document
  20. craft — boats
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. plane — a tool
  24. board — a flat piece

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