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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. branch — a division
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. rush — hurry
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bore — to drill
  21. kick — in football
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. kick — with a leg

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