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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — to paddle
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. row — a line
  6. object — to protest
  7. wound — an injury
  8. object — a thing
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kick — in football
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wound — an injury
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. degree — temperature
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. degree — from a university
  21. object — an aim
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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