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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · fan · chair · content · kick · pound · branch · mouse

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. content — the amount
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. content — happy
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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