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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 120 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
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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 · bulb · rash · wind · pit · club · pitcher · branch

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — a hole
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rash — a series
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pit — in a race
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — hasty
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bulb — for light
  20. branch — a division
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. club — for golf
  24. branch — of a tree

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