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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stem — to come from
  3. branch — a division
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. kid — to tease
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. kid — child
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a tool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rash — a series
  22. file — a document
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fan — a supporter

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