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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 120 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: cue · fan · rush · kick · branch · bowl · row · file

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. file — a document
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. row — a line
  6. cue — a signal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. file — a tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. file — a line of people
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cue — for pool
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bowl — to roll

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