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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: mine · branch · fan · pitcher · rock · cold · roll · present

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. present — a gift
  11. rock — music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cold — an illness
  14. present — there
  15. branch — a division
  16. present — the time now
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rock — a stone
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cold — not warm
  23. roll — a list
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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