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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 120 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rule — government
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bank — of a river
  7. branch — a division
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bass — low music
  17. rule — a law
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. file — a document
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. straw — dry grass
  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