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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pop — soda
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spell — a short time
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. game — a match
  13. spell — letters
  14. fall — the season
  15. branch — a division
  16. spell — magic
  17. fall — to drop
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pop — music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. temple — a place of worship

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