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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. last — final
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. last — finally
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fork — in a road
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fall — the season
  17. last — to go on
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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