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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: cabinet · bound · jam · racket · row · branch · band · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. branch — a division
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. band — a music group
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. row — a line
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. band — a ring
  24. bound — tied together

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