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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. dip — to sink
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mug — to rob
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hand — help
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a great time
  14. branch — a division
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mug — a face
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mug — a cup
  24. branch — of a bank

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