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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: branch · file · stick · jam · clip · band · lean · degree

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. band — a music group
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. file — a line of people
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lean — thin
  9. clip — a video
  10. branch — a division
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — from a university
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lean — to bend
  16. clip — to cut
  17. file — a document
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. clip — for paper
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. degree — an amount
  23. band — a ring
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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