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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She's very handy 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. shower — a meteor shower
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pop — music
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. file — a document
  9. branch — a division
  10. drill — army training
  11. fall — the season
  12. pitch — completely
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. drill — a practice
  17. file — a tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — soda
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. saw — the 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