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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mug — to rob
  3. branch — a division
  4. season — in sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mug — a cup
  7. shower — rain
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. season — of the year
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. file — a line of people
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. clip — a video
  17. shower — to wash
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mug — a face
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. file — a document

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