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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.

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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 · mouse · branch · present · track · rash · fan · bulb

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. file — a tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. branch — a division
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. track — a path
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. track — a song
  22. rash — a series
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. track — to keep track

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