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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tear · kick · net · roll · fan · stick · mine

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. roll — a list
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. net — in sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — for catching
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. net — after costs
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. branch — a division
  21. tear — from crying
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. branch — of a bank

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