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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. content — happy
  8. staff — employees
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hand — in cards
  22. branch — a division
  23. hand — help
  24. branch — of a tree

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