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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.

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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: tube · fan · file · stand · pound · wound · branch · season

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. tube — the underground
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. branch — a division
  10. file — a tool
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pound — a weight
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. season — in sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. file — a document
  23. tube — a container
  24. season — of the year

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