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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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. sharp — exactly
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. file — a tool
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bank — of a river
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. capital — a city
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ground — crushed
  13. branch — a division
  14. ground — the earth
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. season — of the year
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — clever
  19. capital — money
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. file — a document
  24. season — in sport

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