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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: tube · branch · file · content · hand · pitcher · bore · date

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. file — a document
  6. tube — a container
  7. date — the fruit
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. file — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. branch — a division
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bore — to tire
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hand — help
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bore — to drill

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