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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spell — a short time
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stock — shares
  8. spell — letters
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. branch — a division
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. spell — magic
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stock — goods

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