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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · degree · branch · spring · game · scale · suit · racket

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. suit — clothes
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — the season
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. scale — size or range
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. suit — to fit
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. branch — a division
  13. spring — a coil
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. scale — in music
  17. suit — in cards
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spring — of water
  22. game — wild animals
  23. degree — from a university
  24. game — a match

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