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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. lean — to bend
  3. swing — music
  4. file — a document
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. swing — in golf
  11. file — a tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. net — for catching
  14. clip — for paper
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. lean — thin
  18. swing — to play on
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rash — hasty
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rash — a series

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