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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bound — tied together
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. net — for catching
  15. bound — certain
  16. net — in sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — a division
  20. net — after costs
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wind — moving air

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