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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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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 · deal · branch · wind · prune · bat · last · pass

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. branch — a division
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — finally
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. last — final
  10. pass — a permit
  11. file — a tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. deal — to handle
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. last — to go on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wind — to turn a key

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