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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 116 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. file — a document
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rush — hurry
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. band — a music group
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bound — certain
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. band — a ring
  24. branch — a division

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