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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · fine · pit · content · shower · branch · lean · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fine — all right
  5. lean — thin
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. shower — rain
  21. pit — in a race
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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