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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: wake · file · rush · rest · branch · rock · bat · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. rule — government
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. file — a document
  4. rock — music
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rush — hurry
  7. branch — a division
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — the animal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rule — a law
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. file — a tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  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