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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: fan · pop · sharp · roll · foot · bat · branch · track

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. foot — a measure
  14. track — to keep track
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. branch — a division
  23. track — a path
  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