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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. file — a document
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. season — of the year
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. branch — a division
  9. kid — child
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. season — in sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. file — a tool
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kid — to tease
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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