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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. net — for catching
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. net — after costs
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. net — in sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. degree — an amount
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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