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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lean — to bend
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. file — a line of people
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. capital — a city
  11. perch — the fish
  12. branch — a division
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — money
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kid — to tease
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. file — a document
  23. pass — a permit
  24. lean — thin

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