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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: fine · tube · bay · branch · roll · fan · sharp · court

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — of law
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. court — for sport
  9. tube — a container
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. court — of a king
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. branch — a division
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. branch — of a bank

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