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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. branch — a division
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. season — in sport
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fall — the season
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fall — to drop
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rash — a series
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — of the year
  20. hand — in cards
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. safe — out of danger

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