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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · season · mug · snap · deal · branch

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mug — a face
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. file — a line of people
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. file — a document
  12. snap — to click
  13. deal — to handle
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mug — to rob
  16. branch — a division
  17. mug — a cup
  18. deal — an agreement

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