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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · mug · pit · scale · file · hide · branch · chest

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mug — a face
  3. chest — of your body
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. file — a document
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mug — a cup
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chest — a box
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — in music
  21. mug — to rob
  22. branch — a division
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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