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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: drill · branch · saw · mark · safe · fan · bulb · hand

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hand — help
  7. mark — a grade
  8. hand — in cards
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mark — a trace
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. drill — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. drill — army training
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — a practice
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. branch — a division
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bulb — for light
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fan — to cool the air

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