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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. kid — child
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rest — what's left
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fall — the season
  12. branch — a division
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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