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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.

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: file · patient · capital · branch · saw · pit · hide · tube

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. capital — a city
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pit — in a race
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a document
  11. capital — money
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. tube — a container
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — a division
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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