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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. present — there
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. scale — in music
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. can — a tin
  7. rock — music
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. present — the time now
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. branch — a division
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. present — a gift
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. scale — size or range
  24. can — to be able to

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