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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — certain
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — a division
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to click
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rash — a series
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bound — tied together
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bear — to put up with

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