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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 120 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: plane · last · file · bat · branch · fan · patient · rock

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rock — a stone
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. last — finally
  10. plane — a tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. branch — a division
  13. file — a document
  14. rock — music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. file — a tool
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. last — final
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bat — in an idiom

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