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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ground — crushed
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ground — the earth
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. staff — employees
  8. row — to paddle
  9. staff — a stick
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. row — a line
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ground — a position
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — employees
  24. season — of the year

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