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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: branch · bay · sharp · fan · bass · cap · rest · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fine — all right
  10. rest — what's left
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rest — a break
  16. branch — a division
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bass — low music
  20. cap — of ice
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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