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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bank — for money
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bank — of a river
  7. swing — music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fine — all right
  12. file — a document
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bank — for money
  24. file — a tool

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