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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cap — of ice
  4. branch — a division
  5. dip — to sink
  6. row — a line
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. key — for a lock
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. key — the most important part
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. row — to paddle
  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