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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: tube · branch · wind · dip · file · calf · toast · season

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. file — a document
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. tube — a container
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wind — moving air
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. file — a tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. branch — a division
  19. season — of the year
  20. dip — to sink
  21. season — in sport
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. file — a line of people
  24. branch — of a tree

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