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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. file — a document
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bass — the fish
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. file — a tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — a series
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — a box
  18. branch — a division
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bass — low music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. jam — a tight spot

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