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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — a division
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — to bear
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. perch — the fish
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rule — a law
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rule — government
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fine — all right

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