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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. key — in music
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. tear — to rip
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. march — the month
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mine — for digging
  13. march — the month
  14. key — the most important part
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. tear — from crying
  18. branch — a division
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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