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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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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. file — a tool
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. kick — in football
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pop — to visit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a document
  22. bore — to drill
  23. branch — a division
  24. fan — a supporter

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