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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: branch · key · lie · file · bulb · ruler · cold · fork

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. branch — a division
  18. key — for a lock
  19. file — a tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cold — an illness

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