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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. squash — the sport
  3. file — a document
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. file — a line of people
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kick — in football
  15. rash — a series
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fall — to drop
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. file — a tool
  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