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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of law
  4. current — happening now
  5. file — a line of people
  6. current — electric
  7. prune — to trim
  8. current — of water
  9. branch — a division
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. march — the month
  18. court — for sport
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. march — music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. court — of a king
  24. file — a tool

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