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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 water is too ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fall — the season
  3. branch — a division
  4. cold — an illness
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rest — what's left
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rest — what's left
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — for digging
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rest — a break

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