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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: chair · tube · branch · pitcher · firm · game · mark · file

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. file — a document
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tube — a container
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. firm — a company
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. file — a line of people
  13. firm — steady
  14. tube — the underground
  15. chair — a leader
  16. firm — decided
  17. mark — a trace
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — a grade
  24. file — a tool

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