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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rash — a series
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. swing — in golf
  8. branch — a division
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cold — not warm
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cold — an illness
  15. swing — to play on
  16. season — in sport
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. swing — music
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. season — of the year

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