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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fork — in a road
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. saw — the tool
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. saw — the tool
  16. row — a line
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — a phone

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