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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 120 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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cap — a hat
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. club — for dancing
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. file — a document
  12. club — a group
  13. file — a line of people
  14. drill — army training
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. club — for golf
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cap — a lid

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