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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · deal · hide · branch · game · straw · wake · file

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. file — a document
  3. deal — to handle
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — a division
  8. file — a tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. game — wild animals
  15. clip — to cut
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. clip — for paper
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wake — a trail
  20. game — a match
  21. file — a line of people
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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