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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · clip · drill · snap · mate · tube · branch · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. file — a tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rock — a stone
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mate — a friend
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. drill — army training
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. snap — to click
  16. rock — music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. clip — for paper
  19. branch — a division
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. file — a document

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