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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rash — a series
  3. branch — a division
  4. rash — hasty
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. present — there
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. present — the time now
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. tear — from crying
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — of law
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. present — a gift

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