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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. file — a tool
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mate — to breed
  5. file — a document
  6. squash — to crush
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — a partner
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. object — a thing
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. branch — a division
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. object — an aim
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mate — a friend

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