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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: rule · fan · hand · suit · rush · key · pitcher · branch

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rush — hurry
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. hand — in cards
  8. suit — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — clothes
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rule — government
  19. branch — a division
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in 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