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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. file — a document
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — of water
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. branch — a division
  19. land — a country
  20. file — a line of people
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spring — a coil
  23. file — a tool
  24. wake — a trail

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