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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. shower — rain
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. shower — to wash
  14. net — after costs
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bank — for money
  20. net — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bank — for money
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bank — of a river

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