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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: land · branch · row · fan · tear · file · rush · nail

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. land — a country
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. row — to paddle
  5. land — ground
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a document
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. row — a line
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. land — to come down

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