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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: fan · bay · fine · rest · band · branch · net · shower

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. net — in sport
  3. shower — rain
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rest — what's left
  10. shower — to wash
  11. net — for catching
  12. rest — a break
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. band — a music group
  19. fine — all right
  20. band — a ring
  21. fine — high quality
  22. net — after costs
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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