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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. branch — a division
  6. court — of law
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cap — a hat
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. court — of a king
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — for sport

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