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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 120 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: wave · bear · wake · nail · sharp · fan · coach · branch

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — a trail
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. branch — a division
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wave — of the sea
  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