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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: mine · stick · spring · pitcher · fan · cabinet · branch · net

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spring — the season
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. net — for catching
  6. branch — a division
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. net — after costs
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spring — of water
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. net — in sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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