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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: rash · ground · file · wake · bound · rock · row · branch

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. row — a line
  3. ground — a position
  4. wake — a trail
  5. file — a document
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bound — certain
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. branch — a division
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. file — a tool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ground — crushed
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rock — to move gently

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