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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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. branch — a division
  4. chest — a box
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a music group
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. band — a ring
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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