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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 116 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rule — government
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. branch — a division
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pit — a hole
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. prune — to trim
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rule — a law
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. dip — to sink
  24. leaves — lets stay

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