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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: fan · branch · firm · band · deal · rush · court · bat

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. court — of law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. firm — steady
  20. band — a music group
  21. firm — a company
  22. branch — a division
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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