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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — a division
  17. mate — a friend
  18. file — a tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mate — to breed
  23. file — a document
  24. craft — boats

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