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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. branch — a division
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. deal — to handle
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spell — letters
  23. prune — to trim
  24. racket — a loud noise

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