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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. net — in sport
  3. file — a document
  4. net — for catching
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mine — for digging
  9. branch — a division
  10. can — to be able to
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. root — of a word
  19. can — a tin
  20. root — the cause
  21. net — after costs
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  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