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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bank — for money
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. track — a path
  6. wound — an injury
  7. degree — temperature
  8. track — a song
  9. degree — an amount
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a tool
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. degree — from a university
  19. drill — army training
  20. bank — of a river
  21. track — to keep track
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bank — for money
  24. file — a document

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