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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. deal — to handle
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. scale — in music
  9. clip — a video
  10. pit — a hole
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. scale — size or range
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pit — in a race
  18. dip — to dunk

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