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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. club — for golf
  3. fall — to drop
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. fall — the season
  8. capital — a city
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — a group
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — for dancing
  15. capital — money
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chip — for betting
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fall — to drop
  24. branch — a division

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