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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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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: pound · fine · temple · branch · wind · fan · wave · wake

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wake — a trail
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fine — all right
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pound — a weight
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fine — high quality
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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