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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. track — a song
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. branch — a division
  12. track — a path
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. track — to keep track
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. scale — in music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. swing — music
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. dip — to sink
  23. scale — size or range
  24. swing — to play on

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