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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: branch · ball · mug · pound · last · fan · jam · fall

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. last — to go on
  13. fall — the season
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. ball — a great time
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. last — finally
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. last — final
  22. mug — a face
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fan — to cool the 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