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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 120 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 · wind · lash · patient · foot · scale · chest · branch

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. file — a document
  4. branch — a division
  5. file — a tool
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. scale — in music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. scale — size or range
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. file — a line of people
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chest — a box
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wind — moving air

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