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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. face — to point toward
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. branch — a division
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fall — to drop
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. face — part of the head
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. prune — to trim
  20. face — to confront
  21. snap — to click
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a tool
  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