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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: clip · file · mine · tube · deal · branch · hide · bat

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. deal — to handle
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. branch — a division
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. file — a document
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hide — to keep secret
  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