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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 · branch · pound · temple · file · hand · track · arm

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. track — a path
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — in cards
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. track — to keep track
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a tool
  17. hand — help
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. track — a song
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pound — a weight
  23. branch — a division
  24. file — a document

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