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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. club — for dancing
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. charge — a price
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fall — to drop
  8. swing — in golf
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bound — tied together
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fall — to drop
  13. swing — to play on
  14. charge — in control
  15. swing — music
  16. club — for golf
  17. fall — the season
  18. club — a group
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bound — certain
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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