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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. field — a subject
  4. band — a ring
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. field — farmland
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chip — for betting
  18. branch — a division
  19. field — for sport
  20. band — a music group
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chip — to eat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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