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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rock — a stone
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rock — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. branch — a division

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