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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. pop — soda
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pop — music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. band — a music group

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