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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 · last · craft · fall · file · roll · pop · fan

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. last — final
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. roll — a list
  8. fall — to drop
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. file — a line of people
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pop — to visit
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. last — to go on
  15. fall — to drop
  16. branch — a division
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. last — finally
  22. fall — the season
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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