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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. branch — a division
  4. board — a committee
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — to get on
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. staff — employees
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bear — the animal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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