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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: foot · fan · spring · date · mug · chip · lash · branch

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mug — a cup
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. spring — the season
  6. branch — a division
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. foot — a measure
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — a face
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — of water
  14. date — the fruit
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chip — to eat
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chip — for betting

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