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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. saw — the tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. key — the most important part
  11. branch — a division
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. key — in music
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. court — for sport
  23. key — for a lock
  24. court — of law

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