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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chest — of your body
  3. row — a line
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bank — of a river
  7. staff — employees
  8. bank — for money
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bank — for money
  16. staff — employees
  17. kick — in football
  18. staff — a stick

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