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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. file — a tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. band — a ring
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. band — a music group
  11. season — of the year
  12. net — for catching
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. season — in sport
  15. root — of a word
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. root — of a plant
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. net — after costs

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