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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a path
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wax — to grow
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. root — the cause
  16. kick — in football
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. track — to keep track
  19. root — of a word
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. track — a song
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. coach — a trainer

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