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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: game · branch · file · ruler · kid · stick · squash · nail

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. file — a document
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. game — wild animals
  8. kid — to tease
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — a division
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. kid — child
  23. file — a tool
  24. nail — on a finger

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