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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. branch — a division
  7. pop — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. row — to paddle
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pop — soda
  20. row — a line
  21. mate — to breed
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wave — with your hand

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