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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · branch · fan · cap · field · bulb · object · game

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — a subject
  4. branch — a division
  5. game — a match
  6. lean — to bend
  7. object — a thing
  8. cap — of ice
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — for sport
  18. object — an aim
  19. field — farmland
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. object — to protest
  23. cap — a lid
  24. branch — of a tree

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