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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rush — hurry
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. net — for catching
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. degree — temperature
  15. branch — a division
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. file — a tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. net — in sport
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. file — a document
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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