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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: object · branch · clip · rush · cold · rock · date · fan

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. clip — to cut
  3. object — an aim
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. branch — a division
  7. object — to protest
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rush — hurry
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. clip — a video
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cold — an illness
  17. object — a thing
  18. rock — music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rock — a stone
  24. date — on the calendar

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