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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wound — an injury
  3. file — a document
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. file — a line of people
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bore — to drill
  11. branch — a division
  12. rash — a series
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rash — hasty
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a tool
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. roll — a list

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