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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. net — in sport
  3. content — happy
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mate — a partner
  8. net — for catching
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. branch — a division
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. content — the amount
  13. mate — to breed
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spell — letters
  19. mate — a friend
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spell — magic
  23. net — after costs
  24. coach — a trainer

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