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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: game · branch · cold · club · lie · fan · lean · wake

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wake — a trail
  11. club — a group
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lean — to bend
  14. club — for golf
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. lie — to recline
  18. branch — a division
  19. cold — an illness
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lean — thin
  24. fan — a supporter

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