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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for golf
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chip — for betting
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. club — a group
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chip — to eat
  11. content — the amount
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. wax — to grow
  17. content — happy
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — thin
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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