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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · saw · file · leaves · pitcher · date · bulb · wound

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a document
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. branch — a division
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. file — a tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bulb — for light
  23. file — a line of people
  24. leaves — to go away

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