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

Word bank: rest · craft · ruler · file · net · hide · racket · branch

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. craft — boats
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — after costs
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. file — a tool
  19. craft — a skill
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. file — a line of people
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. file — a document
  24. branch — of a bank

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