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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: suit · snap · degree · branch · mine · tear · wave · fan

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. suit — to fit
  3. snap — to click
  4. suit — in cards
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tear — from crying
  10. degree — temperature
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. degree — an amount
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. suit — clothes
  24. branch — a division

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