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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. club — a group
  3. fork — in a road
  4. club — for golf
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cap — a hat
  13. club — for dancing
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. capital — money
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cap — of ice
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — a straw man

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