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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: key · branch · cabinet · file · last · wind · wound · rule

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rule — a law
  4. last — finally
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. last — to go on
  8. key — for a lock
  9. branch — a division
  10. wind — moving air
  11. last — final
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. file — a document
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rule — government

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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