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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 120 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: temple · fan · file · rash · dip · branch · fine · club

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. fine — all right
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — a division
  15. rash — a series
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fine — high quality
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. club — for dancing

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