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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: fall · bay · branch · lash · mate · content · fan · date

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. content — happy
  7. mate — a partner
  8. branch — a division
  9. content — the amount
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fall — to drop
  15. date — the fruit
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fall — the season
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. date — on the calendar

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