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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. branch — a division
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — of the year
  17. rock — music
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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