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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. band — a music group
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tube — a container
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. band — a ring
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rash — a series
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. branch — a division
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — in a tire

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