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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: file · safe · patient · shower · capital · scale · chair · branch

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. file — a line of people
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. capital — money
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. shower — to wash
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. branch — a division
  18. scale — in music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — rain
  21. file — a document
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. capital — a city

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