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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bank — for money
  6. bark — to shout
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. scale — in music
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. branch — a division
  12. tube — a container
  13. degree — temperature
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bank — of a river
  24. straw — dry grass

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