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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: file · safe · branch · content · roll · jam · wound · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. roll — a list
  7. file — a tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — a series
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. branch — a division
  12. file — a document
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. roll — a cake
  16. file — a line of people
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wound — an injury
  24. jam — a tight spot

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