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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: staff · foot · file · branch · mug · dip · lean · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. dip — to sink
  7. branch — a division
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a line of people
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. staff — employees
  13. mug — to rob
  14. file — a tool
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mug — a cup
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. file — a document
  19. mug — a face
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. staff — a stick
  24. branch — of a tree

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