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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: bore · cap · file · squash · shower · fan · branch · club

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. club — for golf
  3. shower — to wash
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cap — a lid
  10. shower — rain
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a document
  18. bore — to drill
  19. file — a tool
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cap — a hat
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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