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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. file — a document
  4. chest — a box
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cold — an illness
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bowl — a dish

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