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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. net — after costs
  3. file — a tool
  4. net — in sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rush — hurry
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. key — for a lock
  10. season — in sport
  11. file — a document
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. key — in music
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tube — a container
  16. mine — for digging
  17. net — for catching
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — of the year
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tube — the underground

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