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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to click
  3. cue — for pool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — for sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. court — of law
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rock — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. court — of a king
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rock — a stone
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. branch — a division
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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