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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 120 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: key · shower · coach · spell · fan · branch · board · season

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — a committee
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spell — letters
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. shower — to wash
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. season — in sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. branch — a division
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — magic
  22. season — of the year
  23. board — to get on
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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