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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 124 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pound — a weight
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. content — the amount
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. branch — a division
  10. content — happy
  11. clip — to cut
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. clip — a video
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wax — to grow
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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