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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. kid — child
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bank — of a river
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kid — to tease
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. can — a tin
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a document
  18. can — a tin
  19. chest — a box
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bank — for money

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