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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. current — happening now
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. current — of water
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. roll — a list
  11. field — for sport
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lie — to recline
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. field — farmland
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. current — electric
  22. dip — to sink
  23. field — a subject
  24. lie — an untruth

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