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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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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 · hide · ball · fall · board · roll · sharp · branch

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — clever
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. board — to get on
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ball — a great time
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ball — a dance
  21. roll — a list
  22. board — a committee
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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