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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: bulb · foot · row · kick · branch · file · field · key

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. file — a tool
  3. key — the most important part
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kick — in football
  6. foot — a measure
  7. key — in music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. field — farmland
  10. row — a line
  11. bulb — for light
  12. row — to paddle
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. field — for sport
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. file — a document
  19. field — a subject
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. branch — a division
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. key — for a lock

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