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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: calf · fan · swing · branch · wave · snap · fall · club

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. club — for dancing
  9. snap — to click
  10. club — a group
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. swing — in golf
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. club — for golf
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fall — the season
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. calf — a young animal

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