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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bound — certain
  10. row — to paddle
  11. file — a document
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. toast — bread
  14. clip — a video
  15. branch — a division
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bound — tied together
  19. row — a line
  20. bound — obliged
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. calf — of the leg
  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