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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: toast · bank · coach · degree · tear · fan · arm · file

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bank — of a river
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. toast — bread
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bank — for money
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bank — for money
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. tear — to rip
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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