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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. branch — a division
  16. net — after costs
  17. tear — from crying
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rush — hurry
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. net — for catching
  24. arm — a part of something

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