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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. wound — an injury
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — a line
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mouse — for a computer

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