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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: wind · branch · game · fan · cap · cue · net · ball

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. net — for catching
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. net — in sport
  6. game — a match
  7. cue — a signal
  8. branch — a division
  9. net — after costs
  10. game — wild animals
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cap — a hat
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wind — moving air

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