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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.

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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.

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: mine · face · file · track · net · kid · stick · branch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. face — to point toward
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to confront
  6. kid — to tease
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. kid — child
  10. net — in sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mine — for digging
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. track — a path
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. file — a document
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — a division
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. net — after costs
  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