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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pitch — completely
  10. branch — a division
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fall — the season
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chair — a leader
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitch — a sports field

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