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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. face — to point toward
  6. dip — to sink
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. press — to push
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. press — a publisher
  15. branch — a division
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to confront
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. press — newspapers
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fall — the season

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