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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. lie — an untruth
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lie — to recline
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. clip — a video
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wind — moving air
  12. branch — a division
  13. bear — the animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bear — the animal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wind — moving air
  20. clip — to cut
  21. prune — to trim
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. prune — the fruit
  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