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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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 tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pop — soda
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. staff — a stick
  9. shower — to wash
  10. march — music
  11. shower — rain
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. branch — a division
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pop — to visit
  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