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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: file · can · cap · cabinet · arm · branch · perch · tear

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cap — a hat
  4. can — to be able to
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — a tin
  8. file — a tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. branch — a division
  11. cap — a lid
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. file — a document
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cap — of ice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. tear — to rip
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cabinet — ministers

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