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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: branch · mouse · row · file · board · shower · spring · lean

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. file — a document
  6. board — to get on
  7. file — a line of people
  8. branch — a division
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. row — to paddle
  12. spring — of water
  13. board — a committee
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. lean — thin
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. lean — to bend
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. row — a line

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