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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · chip · date · cold · branch · bay · racket · fan

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spell — letters
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spell — magic
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. branch — a division
  11. chip — to eat
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cold — not warm
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. cold — the Cold War

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