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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. shower — rain
  16. branch — a division
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. key — the most important part
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mine — belonging to me

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