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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 116 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: tube · lie · season · cabinet · row · rush · file · branch

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. file — a document
  6. rush — hurry
  7. row — a line
  8. season — of the year
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tube — a container
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lie — to recline
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a tool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. row — to paddle

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