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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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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: face · branch · pop · season · mine · rush · fan · shower

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pop — music
  4. rush — hurry
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. face — to confront
  11. season — in sport
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. shower — rain
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pop — soda
  21. branch — a division
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. shower — to wash

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