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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: stick · cell · file · wound · kick · cabinet · object · branch

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a document
  6. object — an aim
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kick — in football
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. object — a thing
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. branch — a division
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. file — a tool
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. object — to protest
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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