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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — of ice
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. branch — a division
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. staff — a stick
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fall — the season
  23. net — in sport
  24. plane — a tool

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