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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. file — a tool
  3. branch — a division
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. staff — employees
  9. content — happy
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a line of people
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — hurry
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. file — a document
  19. staff — a stick
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. content — the amount

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