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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 124 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — a group
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bank — for money
  6. prune — to trim
  7. craft — boats
  8. club — for dancing
  9. hand — help
  10. bank — for money
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bank — of a river
  18. craft — a skill
  19. content — the amount
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. row — a line
  22. content — happy
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — for golf

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