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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 120 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: mouse · fall · bound · sharp · shower · branch · file · mug

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fall — the season
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. bound — certain
  14. file — a document
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mug — a face
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mug — a cup
  22. sharp — clever
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mouse — the animal

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