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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: file · fan · stick · scale · cell · present · branch · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cell — a phone
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. file — a tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. file — a document
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. scale — size or range
  17. file — a line of people
  18. present — a gift
  19. branch — a division
  20. scale — in music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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