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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. staff — employees
  5. branch — a division
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. lean — thin
  9. staff — employees
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bore — to tire
  16. file — a document
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. file — a line of people

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