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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. drill — army training
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rock — a stone
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rock — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — a division
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wound — an injury
  23. net — after costs
  24. branch — of a tree

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