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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.

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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cold — an illness
  3. object — a thing
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. season — in sport
  7. swing — music
  8. dip — to sink
  9. lean — thin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. lean — to bend
  14. object — an aim
  15. season — of the year
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cold — not warm
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. object — to protest
  21. swing — to play on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. swing — in golf

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