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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. branch — a division
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pit — a hole
  6. court — of law
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bound — tied together
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. court — for sport
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pit — in a race
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — of a king
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wake — before a funeral

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