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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. firm — a company
  3. net — for catching
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a city
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — after costs
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. firm — decided
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spell — magic
  19. capital — money
  20. spell — letters
  21. firm — steady
  22. net — in sport
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. calf — a young animal

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