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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 · wake · safe · fine · ball · court · branch · trunk

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. court — for sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. branch — a division
  11. court — of law
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fine — high quality
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — of a king
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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