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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. chest — of your body
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fall — the season
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bore — to tire
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chest — a box
  14. fall — to drop
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. file — a line of people
  19. can — a tin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fall — to drop
  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