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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: stem · swing · fan · sharp · branch · fine · spell · rule

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. branch — a division
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fine — all right
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rule — a law
  21. spell — letters
  22. stem — to come from
  23. sharp — clever
  24. swing — music

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